Commissioners approve proposed county attorney pay scale after market review

Commissioners approved a proposal to put assistant and senior county attorney salaries on a formal pay scale after a personnel review and outside comparisons. Chair led the discussion and moved the proposal; the board approved it by voice vote.

County administrator Dave Mankie explained the rationale and mechanics behind the change, saying there is a relationship between pay grade and actual pay but not a strictly linear one and noting prior market adjustments for correctional officers during recruitment difficulties. "There is a relationship between grade and pay, but it is not necessarily linear," Mankie said. The discussion included multiple salary figures: the assistant county-attorney scale was described in the packet as starting at $100,000 and discussed in the meeting with a proposed maximum reported in discussion around $138,174 (transcript shows variants). For senior county attorneys the board discussed a starting figure of $110,000 and a proposed maximum discussed in the meeting around $150,613.

Supporters pointed to a wage study and market comparisons, including concern that private-sector opportunities and recent public-defender pay adjustments have pressured recruitment and retention. One commissioner said the proposed assistant scale would be "a little higher than average, about $5,802" based on the comparisons in the packet. Commissioners clarified that the new process would route future attorney-pay adjustments through personnel for approval rather than leaving them outside the typical grade-and-scale process.

The board voted to move forward with the proposed scale and to handle future adjustments through personnel, with further administrative details to be implemented by county staff. The motion as presented passed on a voice vote.