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Polk County attorney warns pay gaps could hurt recruitment and retention
Summary
County Attorney Greg Widseth told Polk County commissioners his office budget is driven almost entirely by salaries and benefits and warned that local pay lags public defender and neighboring-county offers, making retention—rather than hiring—the primary budget risk.
Greg Widseth, Polk County’s attorney, told commissioners on Tuesday that about 94% of his office’s proposed budget is devoted to salaries and benefits and that the county faces a recruitment and retention problem for attorneys. "My concern isn’t necessarily finding someone to hire... my concern always becomes retaining those people," Widseth said, pointing to higher pay at public defender offices and recent raises in nearby counties.
Widseth cited…
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