A proposal by Coweta County District Attorney Pete Skandalakis for a circuit-wide committee to study the funding of his office met with lukewarm support from the Coweta County Board of Commissioners Tuesday.

Skandalakis suggested in a letter to the commissioners that an elected official and a staff member from Carroll, Coweta, Heard, Meriwether and Troup counties form a committee to exchange ideas on the best way to fund the district attorney's office.

The district attorney said several issues could be studied by the committee, including the lack of a salary scale for county prosecutors. Currently, the starting salary for prosecutors is nearly $12,000 less than in neighboring circuits, he said.

Another problem with the salary structure is that prosecutors do not receive an annual pay raise unless all five counties agree to the raises, he wrote.

"The retention of these vitally important people is especially necessary since this office employs fewer prosecutors than offices which cover smaller circuits with a smaller office," Skandalakis said.

Other problems in the circuit include the lack of sufficient staff to cover the five juvenile courts in the circuit and an inadequate method of determining each county's budget allocation to the district attorney's office.

While the commissioners sympathized with Skandalakis's problems, they did not feel a committee was the solution.

"I do believe in the district attorney having what he needs and I don't think we've turned him down on anything," said Commissioner Vernon "Mutt" Hunter.

Hunter favored Skandalakis' appearing before the board and outlining his needs.

A committee with only one commissioner on it would put the board in a delicate position because one commissioner cannot get anything passed, he said.

"If his presentation has merit, he'll get it," Hunter said.