To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Patrick L. Hernandez, Director, Human Resources; Amy Padden, District Attorney
Prepared By:
prepared
Julie Weaver, Senior Compensation Analyst; Dusty Sash, Total Compensation Division Manager, Human Resources
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presenter
Presenter: Dusty Sash, Division Manager of Total Compensation, Human Resources
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Subject:
title
2:00 PM *DA Weekend Court Pay for Exempt Employees
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
This drop in is to present a requested change to the DA Weekend Court Coverage pay policy and ask for approval for this change effective January 1, 2026.
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Alignment with Strategic Plan: Workforce and Community Prosperity - Provide competitive wages, benefits, and workforce policies that attract and retain top talent, as is financially sustainable.
Background and Discussion: Currently the DA has a Weekend Court Coverage (for employees in exempt roles) Policy in effect which was approved by the Board during the DA’s transition over to Arapahoe County.
Current Policy: Due to HB21-1280 The Office of the District Attorney, 18th Judicial District is required to provide weekend court coverage, beginning April 1, 2022. As such, Deputy District Attorneys who have volunteered to work weekend court coverage will be compensated a flat rate for working weekend coverage.
Eligibility:
• Job titles include: Prosecutors, Supervising Investigators, Victim Witness Supervisors (exempt employees only)
Compensation Levels:
• Weekend Coverage: $500
o This is per weekend coverage, not per event. If an employee is required to provide coverage on Saturday AND Sunday, they will still only receive $500 for that weekend coverage.
Payment Calculation Eligibility:
• Payments are not subject to 401a (DB) (pension) plan contribution.
• Payments are subject to 401a (DC) and 457 contributions.
• Payments are not grossed up.
Payout Process:
• Payouts are processed when weekend coverage is actually performed.
• Eligible employees are set up within the time and attendance system within the “Time Event App” to code weekend coverage work. This code will be designated as: DA WEEKEND
o When an employee works weekend coverage, they will select the DA WEEKEND code for the appropriate pay period.
o The employee’s direct supervisor must approve the selection for that pay period.
Note: Non-exempt employees who provide weekend court coverage are eligible for pay under the County Wide On-Call Policy. Please refer to the policy under the County Guidelines on My Arapahoe or the intranet.
Due to recent changes in how bond is set as ordered by the Chief Judge, the time commitment has increased, often consuming the better part of the day between preparing for and handling court.
As of September 2025, the DA’s Office has paid for 50 weekends of coverage at $500 per DDA, a total of $25,000. They project an additional 14 weekends of coverage. This will be about $7,000 ($4,900 after grant portion) for the remainder of 2025, at the $500 value, for a total payout of $32,000 ($22,400 after grant portion).
For 2026, they would like to amend the policy to reflect the following conditions to employees who volunteer for weekend court. The DA believes this structure is more competitive:
• If one DDA handles coverage alone, the employee would receive $750.00
• If two DDAs volunteer to split weekend court, they would each receive $500 (cost of $1,000),
• No change for Supervising Investigators, Victim Witness Supervisors (exempt employees only); employee would continue to receive $500 payment per weekend worked.
Please note that the Weekend Court Coverage pay outs are partially reimbursed by Colorado District Attorney’s Council (CDAC) through a state grant, at approximately 30%. We apply for reimbursement quarterly, based on the number of cases handled. The projected 2026 total payout is $50,000 ($35,000 after grant portion), or an additional $18,000 ($12,600 with the CDAC reimbursement).
Alternatives: The Board could consider the following alternatives:
1. Leave rate of pay as is.
2. Increase DDA to $750 regardless of how many volunteers for a shift.
3. Increase all to $750 (creates no addition of new pay codes in HCM).
Fiscal Impact: A total increase of $18,000 is estimated for 2026. The CDAC grant pays approximately 30% of the total cost, leaving the County with $12,600 increase. If approved by the BOCC, this funding will be included in the quarterly budget supplementals. The DA’s Office has sufficient funds to cover the remainder of 2025, should the Board approve the proposed change.
Alignment with Strategic Implementation Strategies: N/A
Staff Recommendation: The DA’s Office recommends approval of the proposed change.
Concurrence: The Human Resources Department supports approval of the proposed increase to the rate .