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Davis County district attorney urges preservation of COLA and merit increases to retain senior prosecutors
Summary
The Davis County elected district attorney told the budget committee that preserving cost‑of‑living adjustments and merit increases is critical to retain experienced prosecutors, arguing the county delivers higher trial conviction rates while spending less per taxpayer; he offered to help explain a possible tax increase at public hearings.
The Davis County elected district attorney told the county budget committee that preserving cost‑of‑living adjustments (COLA) and merit pay is essential to keep the office’s senior prosecutors and investigators, and to maintain public safety.
At a budget committee meeting, the district attorney said Davis spends about $21.45 per taxpayer annually on prosecution compared with about $40.45 in Salt Lake County, while winning a higher share of trials. “For $21.45 per taxpayer, we are doing a better job than Salt Lake County,” he said, arguing that selective charging and experienced staff contribute to higher trial success.
The district attorney framed the request as a recruitment and retention issue. He described an office dominated by senior prosecutors—“most of our prosecutors have more than 20 years of experience”—and warned that losing those staff would undermine capacity. “If we start losing high level prosecutors… it would take me two or three prosecutors to replace a Richard Larson,” he said.
He told the committee the office declines roughly 30–40% of cases that arrive from law enforcement because those files do not meet the office’s “reasonable probability of conviction” standard, which he said aligns with National District Attorneys Association and American Bar Association guidance. He argued that careful case screening both raises trial conviction rates and protects constitutional rights.
Committee members pressed on how conviction rates relate to public safety. One member said higher convictions help keep repeat offenders off the street; the district attorney replied that the office balances public safety and constitutional protections, and that experienced prosecutors are needed to make those decisions.
The district attorney also offered to help communicate budget choices to residents. County staff said Truth in Taxation notices were filed and three public open houses will be held in November to explain budget drivers, including public safety costs; the district attorney volunteered to attend and explain why any proposed tax increase might be needed.
No formal vote occurred on the compensation requests during the meeting. The committee will continue budget deliberations in advance of the county’s hearings this fall.
