What began as a discussion on payroll forms ended up with Cole County commissioners moving to get a pay study done on assistant prosecutor positions.
At their Thursday meeting, commissioners approved an agreement with Prosecutor Mark Richardson to allow him to find more than $900 in his budget to pay two assistant prosecutors if it would not put him over his budget for salaries. This would be on top of the $450 salary increase that was given to all county employees when the commission approved the 2011 budget.
Richardson had questioned why the commission hadn't signed payroll forms for his assistants and said he believed, as an elected officeholder, he had the ability to make salary decisions if he had the funds in his budget to cover them.
Commissioners said it was their understanding that if Richardson did this he would go over his salary budget.