Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Prosecutor tells council county can save money by shifting deputy slot to higher-paid 4D attorney; council approves setting the proposal
Summary
Prosecuting Attorney Kaufman said staff losses left his office short-handed and proposed eliminating a deputy prosecutor slot while raising the 4D (child-support enforcement) attorney pay to $120,000 to retain candidates; commissioners approved setting the proposal and moved to amend the salary ordinance for August consideration.
Prosecuting Attorney Kaufman told Gibson County commissioners that recent departures in his office left prosecutors understaffed and that turnover is driven chiefly by salary competition. Kaufman proposed removing one deputy prosecutor position, consolidating duties into the county’s 4D (child-support enforcement) attorney slot and raising that 4D salary from about $83,320 to $120,000 to attract longer-term candidates.
"My proposal is to eliminate the 1 deputy position ... keep the 4D position, and increase the pay substantially ... I'm requesting that that pay go up to a $120,000," Kaufman said, arguing the county would realize nearly $70,000 in net savings when federal reimbursements are considered and that the change would improve candidate quality and retention.
Council members asked whether the change would create ‘leapfrog’ pressures for other attorneys and how hiring and pay would be handled before a formal salary ordinance could be adopted. Kaufman said the 4D role is distinct (child-support enforcement), can be used across offices as needed, and that the federal reimbursement structure makes the change fiscally reasonable. He cautioned, however, that the office has been rapidly losing staff and that the timing is urgent.
A commissioner moved to set Kaufman’s proposal on the record so staff could prepare salary-ordinance changes; the motion was seconded and the board voiced approval. The council discussed using a special meeting or the August agenda to enact any ordinance changes before payroll deadlines. Later in the meeting a motion to remove the deputy-prosecutor line from the prosecutor’s salary ordinance and to pay the hired person immediately under the amended 4D line was made and passed in the meeting.
Next steps: staff will prepare a salary-ordinance amendment showing the elimination of the deputy-prosecutor line and the increased 4D pay for the August meeting (or an earlier special meeting if necessary).
