Carroll County commissioners propose $130,000 starting pay, $150,000 cap for juvenile court judge

Carroll County commissioners on Friday recommended budgeting a $130,000 base salary and a $150,000 cap for the juvenile court judge position, and tying any future increases to the county's general employee pay schedule.

The recommendation came after two commissioners reported meeting with Judge Palmer and reviewing salaries for juvenile court judges in comparable counties. A commissioner summarized the plan as “a number that we came up with that we felt real comfortable with is setting a base salary at 130 and then setting a cap at 150,” and said raises after hiring would follow the same schedule as other county employees.

The proposal recognizes a recurring state payment that county staff treat as a grant. County staff said the state provides $100,000 annually for the juvenile court judge, paid quarterly ($25,000 per quarter), which the county applies to that position's compensation. With the grant, the county's net share of this year's cost was described in the session as about $41,000 after applying a planned 3% raise for the current judge.

Commissioners also discussed practical steps if the incumbent retires: the job would be advertised at the $130,000 base and the board would budget up to $150,000 to allow flexibility for a highly qualified hire or a starting salary requested by the appointing judge. Participants noted that the juvenile court judge position is appointed and that the appointing judge sets the final salary; commissioners said they had discussed the numbers with judges in the circuit and that they were not surprised by the proposal.

There was no formal vote recorded during the work session. The chair said the budget will be advertised in May and remain open for comment before a vote at the June meeting.