41-5-1704. Salary and expenses. (1) A chief probation officer must receive a salary specified by the court, depending on the formal training and experience of each respective officer; however, the salary may not be lower than $24,000 a year and may not be higher than $29,000 a year. In addition to the salary, the court shall, on or before July 1 of each year, adjust and fix the salary of the chief probation officer for a cost-of-living increase by adding to the chief probation officer's annual salary on July 1 of that year an increment, as determined by the county governing body using the applicable formula provided in 7-4-2504, of up to 100% of the previous calendar year's consumer price index for all urban consumers, U.S. department of labor, bureau of labor statistics, or other index that the bureau of business and economic research of the university of Montana-Missoula may in the future recognize as the successor to that index. The cost-of-living increment for each fiscal year must be added to all cost-of-living increments granted for previous years unless salaries were set for the fiscal year at the level of salaries received in the prior fiscal year by the county governing body. If that is the case, the cost-of-living increment that would have been received for the fiscal year, computed on the prior fiscal year, may not be added to previous increments. The salary of a chief probation officer must be apportioned among and paid by each of the counties in which the officer is appointed to act, in proportion to the cost allocation established under 41-5-104, except when the officer is appointed for one county, then that county shall pay the entire salary.
     (2) In addition to the compensation provided in subsection (1), each chief probation officer with more than 5 years of service is entitled to receive an annual 1% longevity allowance; however, years of service during any year in which the salary was set at the same level as the salary of the prior fiscal year may not be included in any calculation of longevity increase. Each longevity allowance must be based on the officer's current salary and begins on the officer's annual employment anniversary date. The allowance must be paid in equal monthly installments.
     (3) If the county governing body, in any subsequent fiscal year, restores for 1 or more years the annual cost-of-living increments withheld pursuant to subsection (1), the longevity increases provided for in subsection (2) must also be restored for those years that the cost-of-living increment was restored.
     (4) For all authorized travel incident to a chief probation officer's official duties in connection with the investigation, supervision, and transportation of youth, the chief probation officer must, in addition to the officer's salary, be reimbursed as provided in 2-18-501 through 2-18-503.

     History: En. 10-1234 by Sec. 34, Ch. 329, L. 1974; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 530, L. 1975; R.C.M. 1947, 10-1234(part); amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 605, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 534, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 332, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 580, L. 1985; amd. sec. 36, Ch. 308, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 381, L. 1997; Sec. 41-5-704, MCA 1995; redes. 41-5-1704 by Sec. 47, Ch. 286, L. 1997.