Collin County prosecutors get pay raises

by Staff of McKinneyNews.net

Collin County District Attorney prosecutors have been awarded a $13,000 pay raise that officials hope will stem the rising tide of turnover, reports the McKinney Courier-Gazette.

The Commissioners Court approved an "annual supplemental" pay increase for employees in the DA’s office after discussion the issue in execution session at their monthly meeting on Tuesday.

Past salaries and turnover rates pushed prosecutors and employees to request a pay increase, according to First District Attorney Greg Davis. Salaries for misdemeanor and felony prosecutors in the DA’s office have been low for quite some time.

One former prosecutor who now works in private practice as a local defense attorney said he made around $43,000 in nine months with the Collin County DA’s office. The average annual salary of a county prosecuting attorney with six years of experience or less in 2005 was $54,079, according to a survey conducted by the Texas Bar Association.

The DA’s office provides countless hours and money training new attorneys. However, the lure of a lucrative private practice salary is hard for some to pass up.

Davis said he hopes Tuesday’s action will help retain attorneys in the Collin County court system.

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Bill Baumbach, says:

You've got this one wrong guys. (So did the local McKinney newspaper and one other online news site.)

The commissioners approved the prosecutors' "supplemental pay". They do that every year. You see, some of the prosecutors pay comes out of court fees instead of the general fund.

At their previous meeting (2 weeks ago) the commissioners court DID approve a 7% average pay hike for prosecutors.

The 7% will be more or less per individual depending on performance evaluations...but overall, 7% was budgeted. The rest of the county employees got 3.5% - 5%

See Collin County news release below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, Sept. 26, 2008

Prosecutor pay-raise news reports inaccurate

(McKINNEY, Texas) – Media reports today of a flat, $13,000 pay raise for Collin County prosecutors in the coming fiscal year are incorrect. On Sept. 8, 2008, the Collin County Commissioners Court approved a seven percent salary budget increase for attorneys in the Criminal District Attorney’s office for the coming fiscal year. Actual increases for each individual attorney may vary, since individual raise percentages are determined by the District Attorney’s office performance reviews. An across-the-board, lump-sum raise for assistant district attorneys was not requested of nor approved by Collin County Commissioners. No raises will go into effect until Fiscal Year 2009 begins on Oct. 1, 2008.

Bill Baumbach The Collin County Observer

www.collincountyobserver.com

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1 year, 2 months ago
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Scott Doyle, says:

Bill, it'd be great if you linked somewhere other than your own home-page to cite things.

Regardless, if I didn't know any better, this is exactly why qualifying cats opt out of public service and go straight to the private sector. Seems to be a lot less peeps worried about the many more dollars being made over there.

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1 year, 2 months ago
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alexander troup, says:

I HAVE BEEN IN DALLAS A LONG TIME AND THEN AGAIN FOR SOME TIME AND THEN AGAIN OTHER TIMES,WHILE IT IS AMAZING THE KIND OF NEWS COVERAGE THAT IS GOING ON HAS NOT COME UP TO 21ST CENTURY STANDARD, NOW WHAT IS THAT ORIGINAL TEXT TO MEAN, IN A BANAL SOCITY, BORING.......I AM HERE TO SUPPORT AND GIVE THE WIRE SERVICE SOME IMPUT AND FEEDBACK WHILE I DO FEEL COUNTY EVENT STORIES AS I HAVE BEEN READING ARE BORING.......WHAT SHOULD BE AN INSIDE JOB WITH THE GOOD BAD AND UGLE NEVER SEEMS TO GET, TWEAKED TO COME CLEAN.....AND WE SHOULD NEVER SAY CORRUPT IN A POLITICAL CORRECT SOCITY IN THE SOUTHWEST, SO WHAT ARE WE READING INTO A STORY ABOUT A COUNTY, LIKE COLLIN COUNTY, BORING.........WHAT COULD BE INTRESTING IS THE HEROS OF A GOOD STORY, OR THE CHANGE AND TRANSITION SOME PEOPLE HAVE MADE AFTER HAVING LIVED A BORING.......LIFE IN ...TEXAS ......IS TEXAS SO BORING, I GREW UP HERE AND PEOPLE WHO COME HERE FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE TEND TO MAKE IT ...BORING, SO WHAT IS THE QUALTIY OF LIFE IN TEXAS TO BECOME...ANOTHER STORY ON A COUNTY THAT WAS AND WILL ALWAYS BE ....BORING........OK I DONT GIVE UP BUT THAT IS MY TAKE TODAY. ALEXANDER TROUP, THE UNBORING HISTORIAN.