Mahoning prosecutor asks commissiners for nearly $800K more this year for staff

YOUNGSTOWN

Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul J. Gains seeks nearly a 25 percent increase in his budget in 2015, compared with the budget he is receiving for 2014.

Gains seeks $3,991,491 for 2015, which is $796,763 more than the $3,194,728 he is getting this year from the county’s general fund.

The increase is largely due to Gains’ request to fill five vacant positions, a health insurance premium increase and $73,436 worth of step increases he wants to give his staff.

The step increase amounts vary according to increments in length of service.

The vacancies Gains seeks to fill at a combined total pay and benefits cost of $414,158 are: one prosecutor each in the criminal and civil divisions, one secretary in each division and a criminal investigator. The civil division represents county agencies and townships.

“We want this. We really need it. We can operate without it, but it is getting stressful for some of my people,” Gains told the county commissioners concerning his proposed budget increase and the understaffing he said now plagues his department.

“Because we are short-staffed with lawyers, the increasing use of visiting judges by our common pleas judges is killing us” because more prosecutors are needed to appear before these additional visiting judges, said Rebecca Doherty, chief criminal prosecutor.

Doherty will leave Gains’ staff to become a Portage County Common Pleas Court judge in January.

Gains appeared before the county commissioners today for a budget hearing, as did Dr. David Kennedy, county coroner.

Dr. Kennedy requested $774,188 from the general fund for 2015, which is 2.71 percent more than the $753,783 he’s approved for this year.

Read more about the budget requests in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vind.com.