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Prosecutor asks commissioners for salary flexibility and funding for certified legal intern
Summary
The county prosecuting attorney asked to reallocate $29,174 in county funds to keep a certified legal intern ($7,500) and to create a supplemental pool to allow modest salary flexibility for an entry‑level deputy prosecutor to aid hiring and retention amid competition from neighboring counties.
The prosecuting attorney presented a multi‑part budget request asking commissioners to let $29,174 of county‑general funds be reallocated so a $7,500 certified legal intern position could continue and the remaining balance be held as a supplemental pool to raise an entry‑level deputy prosecutor’s salary if needed to recruit applicants. The prosecutor said state comparisons show an average deputy prosecutor salary in Indiana around $99,750 while Jefferson County’s entry level is listed at about $81,410, which can cause candidates to accept higher offers elsewhere.
"I would like the ability to use some of that money to potentially supplement that lowest tier position... so that when I'm hiring someone in the future and they were saying, 'hey, I was offered, you know, 89,000 in Clark County,' I could say, 'I do have some discretion to be able to do that,'" the prosecuting attorney (speaker 11) said. The presenter said the intern program has been valuable and described the intern as handling complex legal research and freeing attorneys for courtroom work.
Commissioners discussed creating a supplemental line item so the prosecutor could deploy funds only if necessary. The prosecutor emphasized the request did not ask for an overall increase in county support; rather, it was a reallocation inside his department to help recruitment and continue the intern program that the office had tested successfully this year.
