Prosecutor requests $25,136 appropriation to cover PTO and severance for APS investigators moving to third-party provider

The Prosecutor's Office asked the committee to approve an appropriation of $25,136 from the pretrial diversion fund to cover payouts tied to the transfer of seven Adult Protective Services investigators to a third-party provider effective July 1.

Prosecutor representative Bob Bridal Hoover said the request covers the last six months of PTO, plus FICA and PERF costs, following an earlier appropriation that paid out the investigators' earned PTO for the first six months of the year. "This will pay their PTO, the FICA, and the perf on those expense expenses," he said.

Auditor John Murphy and other committee members discussed the fund source and precedents. Murphy said the prosecutor's pretrial diversion fund is fee-supported and that the office has discretion over its use, but council authorization provides an audit trail and reduces future audit risk.

Committee members asked whether the severance request was consistent with prior practice; several cited past severance approvals for other department heads. Questions were also raised about employees who may work a transition period and whether additional PTO payouts could follow; the prosecutor said he expected this request to conclude the county's obligations and that the fund has sufficient balance (about $200,000) to cover the payment if needed.

The committee voted to send the salary amendment and the appropriation forward favorably to the full council.