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Montcalm board approves part-time contract for assistant prosecutor, authorizes Greenville service contract
Summary
The board approved a six-month, part-time contract at $75/hour for a contracted assistant prosecutor and authorized the county controller to enter a prosecution-services contract with the City of Greenville contingent on Greenville council approval.
The Montcalm County Board of Commissioners authorized two actions Dec. 16 to bolster prosecution services while the county's prosecutor recruits permanent staff.
Prosecutor Thomas Ginster recommended hiring Betsy Hartley, a 20-year Macomb County prosecutor veteran, on a six-month contract at $75 per hour to provide training and case support. Commissioners discussed costs, comparability to existing part-time hires and the effect on the county-wide wage study before approving a motion that set the contract at $75 per hour with a six-month term and no automatic renewal. The board recorded the motion and voted to carry it.
Ginster also asked the board to authorize the county controller to enter a service contract to provide prosecution services for the City of Greenville. He said prior examples of counties handling city prosecution created economies of scale, cited roughly 50 hours per month of expected work and referenced an average billing in the $45,100 range based on prior invoices. The board approved the authorization contingent on Greenville's own council approving the agreement.
Why it matters: Ginster framed the measures as steps to maintain public-safety operations and manage caseloads while addressing statewide recruiting and retention pressures for prosecutor offices. Commissioners balanced the need for immediate legal capacity against concerns about setting wage precedents during an ongoing wage-study process.
What the contracts cover: Hartley would be retained as an hourly, contract attorney without county benefits; the Greenville contract would allow county prosecutors to represent the city on ordinance and other matters to coordinate prosecutions and avoid duplicative representation in related hearings.
Next steps: The Hartley contract is limited to six months with board review at the end of the term; the Greenville contract will proceed only if the Greenville City Council approves the arrangement.
