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Klamath County DA's office cites heavy caseloads, moves attorneys to salaried pay on May 1
Summary
District Attorney Melina Johnson told commissioners the office has over 3,400 referrals and attorney caseloads from about 300–600 cases each; the office exceeded its overtime budget and will move attorneys to salaried status effective May 1 to address workload and budgeting concerns.
District Attorney’s Office leader Melina Johnson told Klamath County commissioners on March 25 that the office is handling more than 3,400 referrals and that individual deputy caseloads range from roughly 300 to 600 cases, straining staffing and finances.
Johnson said the office recorded 102 overtime hours in the last pay period and is $16,280.56 over its overtime budget nine months into the fiscal year after recent staff turnover, including the loss of a DDA 3. She reported the office has hired a deputy district attorney from Douglas County and expects a court‑certified law student to join, which should help workload capacity.
To address budgeting and workload, Johnson and Human Resources agreed to transition attorneys to salary‑based compensation effective May 1, with HR managing change-of-status memos. The board indicated support for the May 1 change but expressed concern about the long‑term sustainability of staffing and compensation practices; no formal vote was recorded on the staffing changes during the meeting.
Johnson emphasized the current caseload and turnover as drivers of overtime and added that the office will continue coordinating with HR to finalize the transition and monitor staffing needs.
