STAYING WITH THE STORY
Reporter Denise G. Callahan is attending all of Butler County’s budget sessions to bring you the latest news about how your tax dollars are being spent.
Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser told county commissioners this week that his employees are among the lowest-paid law enforcement officials in the region, and that it would take almost $360,000 added to his office’s budget to make their salaries competitive.
Gmoser said the lowest paid assistant prosecutor in his office makes $41,987 and the highest paid earns $120,040; though he noted half of that person’s salary is paid with delinquent tax collections.
Three attorneys make $40,000 to $50,000 annually; 14 assistants earn less than $60,000; eight of them make under $70,000; four members of his staff earn between $70,000 and $80,000; and a division chief on staff makes $83,900, Gmoser told commissions during budget hearings on Monday.
The prosecutor said he polled other law enforcement agencies within Butler County and other prosecutor’s offices across the region and found their salaries were all significantly higher. The Butler County Sheriff’s Office has 23 people who made over $80,000 and eight who made between $70,000 and $80,000, including a few sheriff’s deputies.
There are six unions in the sheriff’s office that bargain for their membership’s wages. There are no unions within the prosecutor’s office.
“We tried to do apples for apples, everything over $70,000,” said Jerome Cook, the prosecutor’s chief of staff. “But we don’t have that many people over $70,000, so we had to do apples and oranges.”
Gmoser told commissioners his staff is a group of professionals with law degrees, who are making careers prosecuting criminals, not using his office as a stepping stone to more lucrative private practices. He said they deserve compensation commensurate with their education, skill and experience, and it’s going to take about $356,000 to get there.
“I want to make sure that the priorities you have (in place) put the prosecutor’s office ahead of certain other priorities that you may feel are equally important,” Gmoser said. “I’m asking for as much attention, or more, than you can give to any other department.”
During his budget hearing last week, Probate Judge Randy Rogers told the commissioners rookie attorneys fresh out of law school can start at $60,000 with the larger law firms.
“Butler County shouldn’t be the underpaid example of how not to treat prosecutor’s assistants well,” Gmoser said. “It should be an example of, at least, parity.”
Commissioner Don Dixon said he sympathizes with Gmoser’s position and that the county’s pay system is out of whack. He said the board is working on correcting the inequities in departments under their direct domain and have urged other office holders to do the same.
“It’s not fair; it’s not close to being fair,” Dixon said. “But ever since I got here, I’ve been trying to unravel this mess. I know your people are underpaid… I’m embarrassed and I’m appalled at some of the differences (in salaries).”
Dixon said Tuesday he did not have enough information yet — there are two more full days of budget hearings — to comment on whether assistant prosecutors will see larger pay increases than the recommended 2 percent.
Gmoser said he has been biding his time to go to bat for higher salaries. His office also compared Butler County to Clermont and Hamilton county prosecutor’s salaries and found the lowest paid assistant prosecutor in Cincinnati earns $54,122 and the most senior people make $108,160. The salary range in Clermont was $42,500 to $104,000 and the bulk of the salaries lie in the $65,000 to $80,000 range.
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