Last week the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners approved a requested $50,000 raise for newly reelected Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen. 

Allen is the only county elected official whose salary is set by commissioners and not state statute. The raise came recommended by the county budget office, which presented commissioners with a high and low end of cost-of-living increases based on a consumer price index and market data.

Allen’s salary will factor into the District Attorney’s Office’s 2025 budget and cannot be changed for the rest of his four-year term. 

Commissioners were presented with a range from $259,690 to $286,607 for the district attorney’s possible salary, or the option to keep it as-is. The lower number was a cost-of-living increase from 2020, and the higher number was an increase from 2016, the last year the district attorney’s salary was raised.

Fourth Judicial district attorney requests $50,000 salary increase ahead of election

The county budget office factored a $50,000 raise into the preliminary county budget for 2025. If also approved in Teller County, the other county included in the fourth judicial district will take on 3% of the salary raise. 

Allen currently makes $215,000, which is lower than the current salaries of judicial districts that include Denver, Jefferson, Adams and Arapahoe counties according to data presented by county CFO Nikki Simmons. 

“You’re getting a lot of bang for your buck when it comes to your DA office down here,” said Thomas Raynes, the executive director of the Colorado District Attorneys Council. 

While most commissioners favored a raise within the presented range, Longinos Gonzalez said he was concerned about comparing among large Colorado counties when it came to district attorney salaries. He also said El Paso County had a lower cost of living than most other nearby large counties, and therefore may not require commensurate pay increases. 

“$50,000 to me — the gut feeling is it’s a lot to go up,” he said. 

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The district attorney’s salary has not been increased since 2016 when former district attorney Dan May requested and received a $30,000 increase. 

Other commissioners were in approval of an increase based on the county budget office’s formula, with commissioner Cami Bremer calling the application a “roadmap” for future commissions. 

 “It’s not a raise, it’s a cost of living adjustment,” said commission chair Carrie Geitner.

The 2025 budget currently calls for a 4% salary increase for District Attorney’s Office employees. A spokesperson said that employees have seen about a 30% salary increase since 2021. 

According to state statute, all district attorneys must have a minimum salary of $193,008 starting in 2026.