DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (KTIV) -
A lawsuit over a raise for a Dakota County legal secretary is moving forward in district court.
Dakota County Attorney Kim Watson is suing the county's board of commissioners. She says her secretary deserves a 2 percent increase in pay, which equates to about $624 more a year.
Friday, the court set a declaratory judgment hearing on April 25th, where both sides will get a chance to argue their case.
The suit comes after the board denied the raise, twice. Watson says the move wouldn't hurt the county's bottom line because she'd be using a portion of funds that have already been approved.
Watson also says she has the power to grant the raise without the county's go-ahead. She cites a case in 2010 where another Nebraska county attorney sued and won a salary request for a full-time secretary, despite that county board's refusal.
"After reading all the cases, in my opinion, the cases support all elected officials are on the same level. I am on the same level as all the board members," said Watson.
County commissioners say their budget is extremely tight. The county has been under a wage freeze for the past eight months, and has laid off several people.
Earlier this month, Chair Rick Bousquet said making the concession in this instance would set an unfair precedent.
Commissioners say they won't comment further until after the April hearing.
Watson says her secretary has been around for 10 years, and says winning the court battle will keep her around.
"The most important thing for my office is keeping my employees here, and as happy as possible," said Watson.
The declaratory judgment hearing on the 25th is set for 1:00 p.m.
"The most important thing for my office is keeping my employees here, and as happy as possible," said Watson.
