Kootenai County commissioners voted Dec. 4 to approve a position conversion within the Prosecuting Attorney's Office intended to make a vacant civil attorney post more marketable to applicants.

Prosecuting Attorney Stanley Mortensen told the board a civil attorney position classified as an "84" has been vacant since June and that he has interviewed candidates but received no hires. He asked to swap funding/classification between that civil 84 and an 85 criminal slot so the civil vacancy would be funded at the higher 85 level. "I just wasn't getting quality applications," Mortensen said, describing the swap as "horse trading" within his office to attract higher‑caliber candidates.

Mortensen provided pay‑matrix figures during the discussion, citing a starting salary of about $91,000 for an Attorney 4 and about $110,000 for an Attorney 5 (a roughly $17,000 to $22,000 difference depending on which point in the matrix is used); he also cited top‑end figures of about $132,000 and $159,000 and referenced midpoint comparisons. He told the board onboarding costs would be similar regardless of classification because desks, computers and other equipment are already in place.

A commissioner asked whether the office could advertise a salary range to attract candidates and then seek board approval for a higher pay offer if needed; Mortensen said he had been told the conversion needed to come before the board rather than being handled internally. The motion to approve the position conversion was made, seconded and carried with both commissioners voting "Aye."

The conversion was presented as budget neutral (swapping funded slots rather than adding new positions); the board did not approve an ongoing increase in headcount, but approved the reclassification to aid recruitment.