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Hillsdale County approves higher classification to recruit assistant prosecutor after retention concerns
Summary
The county authorized the prosecuting attorney to offer an assistant prosecutor position out of classification at grade 12 step 1 after weeks of debate over pay and staffing; an amendment to raise the step to 5 failed and the final offer was approved 4–1.
The Hillsdale County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to allow the prosecuting attorney to offer a new assistant prosecuting attorney (APA) position out of classification at grade 12 step 1 after the county’s prosecutor told the board she could not recruit at the current starting pay.
Prosecuting Attorney Jamie told the board she has only received three applicants and that the office is carrying an unsustainable caseload. "We can't compete with that at 57," she said, referring to the current starting salary on the county pay scale, and urged commissioners to approve a higher grade and step so the office could hire and retain attorneys who will stay in the community.
Jamie requested authority to hire at grade 12 step 5, which she said would bring the starting salary closer to neighboring jurisdictions. Commissioners debated whether to treat the request as a budget change or a personnel matter best handled during the budget cycle and flagged potential ripple effects across other county salary lines.
A motion to amend the offer to grade 12 step 5 failed on a roll call vote. The board then approved the original motion to permit an out‑of‑classification offer at grade 12 step 1 by roll call (4 yes, 1 no). The roll call recorded "Commissioner Benson" and three other commissioners voting yes and one commissioner voting no; the meeting minutes provide the formal tally and names.
The board's approval allows the prosecutor to extend an offer at the approved pay grade immediately, though Jamie said she still faced competition from private and neighboring public employers. She told the board her office needs at least three attorneys and said one recent day was consumed by gathering materials and reviewing hours of video related to a recent dog‑attack investigation.
The action was procedural approval to extend an offer rather than a permanent reclassification; Jamie said she will pursue a formal regrading request as part of the next budget process.
The board did not adopt the higher step requested by the prosecutor; commissioners said they wanted to preserve consistency with policy and ensure budget impacts are manageable. The board also noted that personnel management and the budget process are the usual venues for permanent classification changes.
