The Prince Edward Board of Supervisors unanimously approved several staff salary changes proposed by Commonwealth’s Attorney-elect Megan Clark on Tuesday.

The proposed changes were unanimously recommended by the board’s personnel committee.

“There’s going to be considerable personnel changes in that office,” said County Administrator Wade Bartlett. “As of today, besides the commonwealth’s attorney … transitioning, there’ll be two attorneys that have announced that they will be leaving or have already left and one administrative staff [member retiring].” 

Prosecutor Morgan Greer has resigned and Brian Butler has decided to leave the office.

Clark — who was elected without ballot opposition on Nov. 3 and defeated Butler in a June Democratic Primary — has named current Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Bauer as chief deputy commonwealth’s attorney.

“Robert works currently for the commonwealth’s attorney,” said Bartlett. “She would like to increase that salary to $70,000, with that promotion.”

“Robert has experience both as a defense attorney and as a prosecutor,” Clark said. “It was highly recommended that if any changes were made in the office that he be a person that I really looked at keeping. And that came from members of the law enforcement community as well as members of the community as a whole.”

Working with Clark, Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Ennis, who is retiring in December, has also hired an assistant commonwealth’s attorney to replace Greer, who resigned weeks ago.

Greer’s replacement will make $58,000, according to the personnel committee report.

“She does have a background in prosecution in a rural area,” Clark said of his replacement. The new employee, who Clark didn’t name because of her current employment status, previously prosecuted cases in Galax County and in the surrounding community. “She can really hit the ground running.”

The new attorney will begin in December, Clark said.

With one administrative support employee retiring, “Clark would like to promote a secretarial position that is currently filled by a young lady in the department and move that person up and would like to pay her $35,000,” Bartlett said. “That would leave the secretarial position open and that is a county-funded position. So there’s no minimum that you have to meet that she’s requesting $25,422 for that position. …”

The moves leave two vacancies in the office — an assistant commonwealth’s attorney and an administrative support employee.

The board also approved the personnel committee’s recommendation for Clark to make an annual salary of $119,516, which is the minimum salary set by the state’s compensation board, according to Bartlett.

“The last two constitutional officers that were elected … both started at the minimum state salary,” he said.

In addition to approving Clark’s requests, the board approved changing the county personnel policy to where newly elected constitutional officers would make the minimum annual salary as set by the compensation board.

“You have a minimum amount that the compensation board will give, and then the county will supplement,” Clark said of the positions.

According to a county document, the changes will yield an estimated annual personnel budget savings of up to $55,000.

“I’m optimistic about the transition,” she said.