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Kootenai County OKs additional prosecuting attorney interns and a position reclassification
Summary
Prosecuting Attorney Stanley Mortensen won board approval for a temporary fourth spring intern and three summer interns for 2026, and for converting a vacant civil Attorney 4 position to a higher classification to improve hiring prospects; both actions were described as budget neutral and passed unanimously.
Prosecuting Attorney Stanley Mortensen told Kootenai County commissioners on Dec. 4 that his office needed more temporary law‑school interns and a reclassification of a vacant civil attorney position to attract qualified applicants. The board voted to approve both requests.
Mortensen said his office typically employs three interns across the year and asked the board to authorize a fourth intern for the spring 2026 semester and three additional interns for the summer 2026 period. "These are law school interns. These are invaluable positions," Mortensen said, arguing the interns perform attorney work at lower cost and help an office that has been understaffed.
He described the intern request as budget neutral. "It's projected I'll have about $700,000 in savings," Mortensen said, referring to salary savings tied to current vacancies that he said could fund the temporary positions.
On the second item, Mortensen requested a position conversion: he explained a vacant civil position classified at Attorney 4 (84) has been difficult to fill and proposed converting it to an Attorney 5 (85) classification to improve candidate quality. Mortensen said an Attorney 4 "starts out at $91,000" while an Attorney 5 "starts out at $110,000," and that reclassifying the vacancy would make it more attractive to applicants. He described this request as budget neutral as well and said existing office space and equipment would accommodate the hire.
A commissioner moved to approve both personnel items. The board recorded affirmative votes from Commissioner Eberlein and Chair Metari and the motions carried.
The meeting adjourned at about 10:08 a.m.
What happens next: Both actions are administrative personnel approvals; the interns will be hired for the temporary periods Mortensen described, and the county will proceed with the reclassified civil attorney recruitment under the higher pay classification.
