MARIES COUNTY — Maries County commissioners on May 18 discussed reverting the prosecuting attorney’s position to part-time and cutting the six-figure salary. However, state law won’t allow the county to decrease the position.

County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers and Presiding Commissioner Vic Stratman said that they like the job that Prosecuting Attorney Anthony (Tony) Skouby does, but they can’t afford to pay that role full time, and the commissioners would like to give raises to the other employees, too.

Skouby weighed in on the topic, sharing that he believes the county can afford to pay his salary because of the county law enforcement restitution fund (CLERF).

“But we bring in so much money there that we can’t treat the other county employees right,” Stratman said.

Revised State Statute 56.363 says transitions either way must be approved by the voters.

However, for Maries County, a third-class county, to revert to part time, its population must be 12,000 to 14,000 inhabitants and its county seat must be a fourth-class city with 1,700-1,900 residents.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the county’s 2025 population to be 8,397, and Meramec Regional Planning Commission lists Vienna’s 2023 population as 752 residents. Therefore, the county does not qualify.

Stratman said that he thinks that this statute with narrow parameters was designed for a specific county. He thinks that a better alternative would be to allow any third-class county to put this measure on the ballot — but only if a county decided to do this.

“We wouldn’t be forcing it on any other county,” he said.

Because of the backlog of work, Skouby asked to make the role full time, and in August 2022, voters approved it. However, Revised State Statute 56.265 says that a full-time prosecuting attorney makes the same amount as the associate circuit judge.

Skouby believes that this role requires full-time pay because the county can’t afford to hire an assistant prosecutor, meaning he is always on call. To help the county afford his salary, he increased the amount in the CLERF to cover the extra cost.

“It was really a full-time job with just part-time pay,” he said.

Skouby guesses that the original amount of the fund was $12,000 to 15,000 when he started, but now the fund receives $90,000 to 150,000 per year.

When people break the law, part of the court cost goes to this fund, such as agreeing to pay money to this fund instead of receiving a point on their driving record.

The past three years, the restitution funds board has given the county $50,000 for Skouby’s salary.

Revised State Statute 50.565.3 (5) allows the fund to be used for the any reasonable law-enforcement related expense, including the prosecutor’s expenses, that are “reasonably related to investigation, charging, preparation, trial and disposition of criminal cases before the courts of the state of Missouri.”

Furthermore, Skouby believes that the Maries County Emergency Services Board separating from the county will free some money that can cover his salary.

This is Skouby’s salary since the change, effective July 1 each year:

• 2022 (part time): $52,101.12

• 2023: $156,214

• 2024: $163,400

• 2025 (current): $166,154

If the county reverted the prosecuting attorney’s salary back to part-time, $51,000 would be the base salary, plus more pay for additional duties. This is because $191,379,680 is the county’s 2025 assessed valuation.

“I’m not saying I won’t because I’m dedicated to Maries County, but I’m saying it’ll be very hard for them to find somebody that’s willing to do that job for $50,000 per year,” Skouby said.

At the end of the meeting, the commissioners voted to enter closed session to work on personnel policies for the employee manual, citing Revised State Statute 610.021 (9), which allows going into closed session for “Preparation, including any discussions or work product, on behalf of a public governmental body or its representatives for negotiations with employee groups.”

Following a question on whether general personnel policies fit under that reason, the commissioners went back into open session and adjourned, deciding to work on the handbook individually.

The Advocate reached out to Skouby, who declined to answer whether he thought the commissioners were right to enter closed session because he represents the county.