Commissioners and administrators from Archuleta, La Plata and San Juan counties tentatively agreed to raise District Attorney (DA) Sean Murray’s salary by $63,000 during a joint virtual work session on Oct. 7 — but noted the additional pay would likely result in cuts to the DA’s budget.
Though not yet official, the raise would increase Murray’s annual pay from $130,000 to $193,008 and take effect in early 2025.
It would also be the first raise in 13 years for the position, according to Murray, who serves all three counties in the 6th Judicial District.
The discussion to increase Murray’s salary was sparked in part by legislation arriving in 2026 that will restructure compensation for DAs and assistant DAs across the state.
Murray currently earns the minimum salary allowed by law, but Senate Bill 24-13 will require his pay be no less than a full-time district court judge by July 2026; those judges currently earn the $193,008 Murray is requesting.
The bill further stipulates that 80 percent of the funding for the DA’s salary will continue to come from the state, with the remaining 20 percent to be paid by counties.
Until that bill goes into effect, Archuleta, La Plata and San Juan counties would share the cost of the $63,000 raise.
Calculating the financial impacts for 2025, the La Plata County Finance Department reported Archuleta County’s portion would hover around an additional $12,300.
The more populous La Plata County would contribute another $50,000, roughly, with San Juan County paying an extra $700.
“That’s a huge increase,” Archuleta County Commissioner Ronnie Maez said of Murray’s proposed raise. “And we’re not big counties; we don’t have a lot. I know La Plata County … has a 20 percent reduction in their budget. We’re looking at our budget coming up, and we’re looking at cutting it, as well.”
In a presentation to the counties, Murray also advocated for promotional reclassifications for other attorneys in his office with hopes of filling vacancies and improving retention.
“I know that this is a tough time to make a big ask,” Murray said, and acknowledged feeling “somewhat uncomfortable” requesting a raise for his own position, but added expanded salary ranges for his deputy district attorneys would help stem turnover and preserve institutional knowledge.
“Every attorney that I work with in the DA’s office generally feels overwhelmed by appeals, by motions, by trials,” Murray said, adding that his office is understaffed by two attorneys — soon to be three.
“It’s created an effect where we’re feeling like we’re treading water,” he said.
The commissioners expressed agreement that continued support of the DA’s office is important, but questioned how to reconcile that support with fiscal realities looming for counties in 2025.
“How can we do the best with what we have and support our district attorney and his office, and also keep in mind the budget that we have to balance going forward?” Archuleta County Commissioner Warren Brown asked.
La Plata County Commissioner Marsha Porter-Norton described experiencing a sticker shock when first considering the proposed salary increase, but noted that issues of public safety are at stake, too.
“This is a key position in our law enforcement tool kit,” Porter-Norton said, “and to not give cost of living [increases] is really concerning to me. So, I am for this.”
San Juan County Administrator William Tookey joined Porter-Norton in wondering why the DA’s salary had remained stagnant for 13 years.
“How did we, over the years, allow the DA’s salary to not be increased?” Tookey asked. “No cost of living for 13 years? That’s something I think we messed up on our end, for sure.”
He added, “Had we been paying a little closer attention … we wouldn’t be looking at such a huge increase now.”
The Colorado Constitution prevents county commissioners from changing a DA’s salary in the middle of a term, Murray noted, explaining the timing of his request as coinciding with the upcoming 2025 term.
He is currently running unopposed for DA in the 6th Judicial District.
“I look at this as a cost-of-living catch-up,” Porter-Norton said, pointing out that former DA Christian Champagne had also raised the issue with commissioners.
“So, this isn’t coming out of the blue. ... Christian Champagne really did try to address this,” Porter-Norton said.
She suggested approving Murray’s full raise while examining whether a proposed 20 percent increase to the DA’s 2025 budget could be trimmed.
“What we can hopefully get consensus on is raising the salary of the DA, but then taking that budget increase down a bit,” she said. “We’re having to cut everywhere, and it’s hard to justify a 20 percent increase.”
Archuleta County commissioners Veronica Medina and Maez both expressed support for the idea.
“If it happens that way, then I would be totally in full support of it,” Maez said. “We’ve all got to tighten up. Not just us, but also the DA.”
Considering the raise, Medina also requested additional performance metrics from Murray.
“I hear from you that you have a large caseload, but what are those numbers looking like as far as current cases in Archuleta County?” Medina asked Murray earlier in the session. “You’re asking for a significant increase. It would be nice to see overall where we’re at … and your success rate, performance-wise.”
Murray explained that while crime appears to be down, juvenile prosecution has gone up.
He pointed the public to his office’s online dashboard where more performance metrics and statistics can be found.
He agreed to gather that data for the commissioners as they continue to finalize the 2025 budget, with final passage expected in December.
garrett@pagosasun.com
>