Mar. 13—Spokane's city-employed prosecutors will receive a 10% pay increase this year and another at least 5.1% bump in 2025, after the Spokane City Council on Monday approved a two-year contract with the prosecutor's union.

The city had already budgeted $1.08 million in 2024 for the 11 employees in the prosecuting attorney's union and set aside around $65,000 for possible cost increases as contract negotiations were concluding. However, the pay increases approved Monday cost an additional $80,000; the City Council also approved Monday pulling that money from the mayor's office to cover the difference.

In 2025, the overall cost increase to the city as a result of the pay increases is estimated to be $217,000.

"We're pretty grateful to the city for maintaining a priority on community justice," said Anna Hostetler, president of the prosecuting attorney's union. "This contract moved this office to wage parity with the public defender's office, which we were very appreciative of."

The last contract with Local 270, the city's largest public employee union covering everyone from trash collectors to public defenders, is in effect from 2021-2025 and included annual salary increases of 4-5%. The contract for the prosecuting attorney's union, which was once part of Local 270 but split away years ago, was in effect 2020-2023 and included a 2.25% salary increase in 2021 and 2022, and none in 2023.

"The prosecutor's office had fallen behind the pay given to public defenders in the city, and we also had someone move to a different position and had an opening and struggled to fill that position for some time," Hostetler said. "This has been a nationwide issue with filling prosecutor jobs."