After three rounds of votes, the Flathead County Compensation Board on May 22 supported a $156,500 salary for the county attorney, an increase to the position’s current $147,160 salary. 

The Flathead County Compensation Board is statutorily required to prepare the pay schedule for elected county officials and has traditionally included cost-of-living adjustments for county employees. Commissioners reserve final approval for wage increases.

At the meeting, the board also recommended a 2.15% cost-of-living adjustment for county employees.  

The compensation board includes all three county commissioners, County Treasurer Adele Krantz, County Attorney Travis Ahner, Sheriff Brian Heino, District Court Clerk Sara Smith, and citizen representatives Jim Trevino and Leonard Falk. 

Human Resources Director Tammy Skramovsky advised commissioners to increase Ahner’s salary after they approved a new pay schedule for deputy attorneys on May 6, which increased starting wages from $90,000 to $100,000. However, this meant the highest-paid employee would make just $200 less than their boss. 

Deputy county attorneys’ salaries are not statutorily tied to the county attorney, but it’s important that the elected official is paid more than their employees, Skramovsky said. There’s $12,600 of wiggle room under the statutory cap for the county attorney, which is set in relation to the Flathead County District Court judges’ salaries.   

She recommended increasing the county attorney’s salary close to or at the cap of $159,813, although cautioned it may affect future cost-of-living adjustments.  

“In future years, we just have to look at that [cap] every year and see what the salary for a district court judge raises to,” she said. “And then, in each future year, evaluate whether we can give a raise to the elected county attorney, as well as deputy county attorneys.” 

The last pay raise for district court judges, which went into effect July 1, 2025, increased their annual salary by 7.3% to $159,813. The judges’ salaries are set by the state Legislature. 

Commissioner Randy Brodehl said this may not have a big impact on raises for the County Attorney’s Office.  

“We will always chase that number,” he said. 

THE BOARD also recommended a 2.15% wage increase for county employees after nearly an hour and a half of discussion.  

County department heads have long pushed for increased wages for their staff to keep up with inflation, while commissioners remain wary of dipping too far in the county’s reserves.  

The Montana Association of Counties recommended a 2.69% cost of living adjustment for county employees, while County Administrator Pete Melnick proposed a 2% adjustment, a figure he said that was both competitive and maintained “fiscal discipline.” 

County department heads argued Melnick’s proposal was hardly sufficient. Krantz said a 2% increase would result in an extra $75 a month for many of her staff. 

“In today’s economy, that would not go very far,” Krantz said. “You can thank your employees, but it comes down to their pocketbook.” 

Heino's office has struggled to retain deputies when other jurisdictions, such as the Kalispell Police Department and Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, offer $5 to $6 more in hourly starting wages. 

Ahner echoed the sentiments and urged county commissioners to adopt a 2.5% adjustment. A deputy county attorney worked 18 months in his office before leaving for another job that offered $200,00, plus benefits, he said, which is approximately double the starting salary of deputy county attorneys. 

But commissioners pushed back on higher percentage increases, especially as they wait for finalized revenue figures for the budget later this summer. With changing laws around property taxes, it’s getting difficult to predict revenue, commissioners and the county administrator said.  

“We’re at the mercy of the Legislature,” Melnick said. 

Brodehl said he couldn’t support a 2.5% adjustment because “the risk to our taxpayers is too high.”  

“There’s so many unknowns,” he said. 

The county’s reserves are expected to have $15.2 million at the start of the 2027 fiscal year, which begins July 1, according to Finance Director Amy Dexter. With the proposed 2% cost-of-living adjustment, she predicted the reserve would sit at $10.9 million by the end of the 2027 fiscal year.   

Heino made a motion for a 2.5% increase, but it failed without support from the commissioners. A motion needs a majority of the board, plus two commissioners, in order to pass. His subsequent motion for 2.25% also failed. 

When Brodehl motioned for the 2.15% increase, Trevino said it felt like “splitting hairs on a dog’s back.” He and Ahner both voted against Brodehl’s proposed increase. 

Report for America Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 406-758-4439 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.