County sets guideline for public defender salary

Spokane County Public Defender John Rodgers will join elected county officials in having his future pay determined automatically.

County commissioners decided in a 2-1 vote Tuesday, with Bonnie Mager dissenting, to give Rodgers 85 percent of Prosecutor Steve Tucker’s new salary – which will be whatever the state Legislature sets for District Court judges.

Mager wanted to give Rodgers 90 percent of Tucker’s pay, which she saw as a compromise of the 95 percent recommended by county Human Resources Director Cathy Malzahn. Commissioner Todd Mielke suggested the same compromise but settled on the 85 percent Commissioner Mark Richard proposed.

Richard noted a survey of similar counties, excluding one that was much less generous than the others, and showed they pay their public defenders about 85 percent of what they pay their prosecutors on average.

Mielke said prosecutors lack the job security of public defenders, are burdened with election campaigns and face more public scrutiny than public defenders. Mager countered that public defenders arguably spend more time on the job instead of campaigning.

The new salaries will take effect Sept. 1.

When commissioners recently tied the prosecutor’s salary to that of a District Court judge, they voted to give the auditor, assessor, treasurer and Superior Court clerk 90 percent of their own salaries – which are set by an independent salary commission.

Commissioners set the sheriff’s salary at the average of six other counties, as measured every January.