State legislators propose raising prosecutors’ pay

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State legislators are proposing a pay progression system to help Wisconsin counties retain prosecutors.

Senate Bill 394, introduced Friday, would establish a 17-step, merit-based process for assistant district attorneys to reach top pay. Each step would be equal to 1/17th of the difference between the lowest and highest hourly range.

Assistant prosecutors with at least one year of continuous service as of July 1, 2013, would get a pay bump to the level immediately above their current salary. Newer assistant district attorneys would get a raise after serving at least 12 months.

Each July, prosecutors would be eligible for additional raises, at the discretion of their supervisor.

Sheboygan County District Attorney Joe DeCecco said he supports the legislation and believes it would help encourage newer prosecutors to stay on the job instead of leaving after a few years to take more lucrative jobs with private firms.

“Prosecutors now with less than five years of experience,” he said, “don’t have much hope for making a career out of being a prosecutor.”

The average starting salary for assistant district attorneys is about $50,000, he said, but that is now diminished by having to pay into state employee health care and retirement benefits costs.

“That really heightens the problem,” DeCecco said.

Though he supports the proposal, DeCecco questioned how the state would pay for the plan.

“I appreciate the effort by legislators,” he said, “but I don’t see this bill going anywhere because I don’t know where the money is going to come from.”