Seattle City Prosecutor Salary Increase Ordinance Passed by City Council

The Seattle City Council is addressing a staffing shortage within the Seattle City Attorney’s Office by approving a memorandum of agreement that increases the pay of assistant city prosecutors by 20%. The city council voted 8-0 in favor of the ordinance on March 14. Earlier that day, staff members of the Seattle City Attorney’s Office said they were still working to fill staffing as it lost 12 prosecutors over the last two years. One of the biggest impacts the office cites is its ability to pay prosecutors a competitive salary. According to the report presented to councilmembers, the salary range for a city prosecutor is approximately $81,000 to $110,000 – lower than six other Western Washington cities. This includes Tacoma, Auburn, Bellevue, Renton, SeaTac and Redmond. Between city prosecutors, public defenders and county prosecutors, Seattle city attorneys remain competitive with their salaries up until five years of experience where the average is around $100,000, according to the office’s report.