COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Branch County Commissioners yesterday turned down and then approved the hiring of a new assistant prosecutor who had already started working last week in the office of County Prosecutor Ralph Kimble. The county board took issue with Kimble’s hiring of Coldwater native and South Haven resident G. Scott Smith mainly because Kimble wanted to have Smith start at the six month salary level rather than at the standard new hire beginning pay rate for the position.
Nearly two years ago, Commissioners agreed that one way the budget strapped county could save money was to make sure that all new employees are always hired at the entry salary level for their job classification. County Board Chairman Don Vrablic said he had concerns, as did other Commissioners, that if Smith was allowed to begin at the 6 month level, it right away might have a domino effect and bring other such requests.
The board initially defeated Kimble’s staffing request and then passed the resolution after re-setting Smith’s salary at 15-hundred dollars lower than Kimble’s request for $60,656. Smith had been a long time assistant in the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s office and was hired by Kimble to replace Aaron Van Langevelde who stepped down last week after two years in Branch County for a post in Lansing with the Michigan House of Representatives.
