1. (a) In the Tenth Judicial Circuit, Bessemer Division, the elected assistant district attorney of the circuit may appoint 16 deputy district attorneys. The deputy district attorneys appointed pursuant to this section shall be qualified to practice law in the courts of this state and shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing elected assistant district attorney. The deputy district attorneys shall be state officers and shall perform the duties in the circuit as the elected assistant district attorney may require.
2. (b) The elected assistant district attorney may designate one deputy district attorney to serve as chief deputy district attorney, four deputy district attorneys to serve as Level I deputy district attorneys, five deputy district attorneys to serve as Level II deputy district attorneys, and six deputy district attorneys to serve as Level III deputy district attorneys.
3. (c) The total annual compensation to be received by each deputy district attorney shall be computed by the use of levels and steps. Levels shall refer to the amount of legal experience which each deputy district attorney had at the time of appointment to the office. It is intended to entitle an attorney with applicable legal experience to commence the office at a higher rate of pay than one who has less applicable legal experience. Steps shall refer to the amount of time that the deputy district attorney has served in the office as deputy district attorney or the length of time that the officer shall continue. It is intended by this provision to allow periodic increases in pay as incentive for the officer to continue to serve in the office; however, the elected assistant district attorney shall have the authority to designate the level and step, at the time of appointment, of any appointed deputy district attorneys authorized by this section.
4. (d) The annual compensation to be paid the chief deputy district attorney, one deputy district attorney designated as Level I deputy district attorney, one deputy district attorney designated as Level II deputy district attorney, and one deputy district attorney designated as Level III deputy district attorney shall be as provided in the schedule of salaries set out in subsection (g). Of the total annual compensation to be paid each of the four deputy district attorneys, each shall be paid an annual salary by the State of Alabama of twelve thousand nine hundred dollars ($12,900), payable from the general funds of the state in equal installments as the salaries of other state officers are paid. The remainder of the annual compensation as provided in the schedule of salaries set out in subsection (g), of each of the four deputy district attorneys, shall be paid by the county within the Tenth Judicial Circuit, which sum shall be paid from the general funds of the county, in equal semimonthly installments as the salaries of other county officers are paid.
5. (e) The annual compensation to be paid to three deputy district attorneys designated as Level I deputy district attorneys, four deputy district attorneys designated as Level II deputy district attorneys, and five deputy district attorneys designated as Level III deputy district attorneys shall be as provided in the schedule of salaries set out in subsection (g). The compensation shall be paid by the county within the Tenth Judicial Circuit, which sum shall be paid from the general funds of the county, in equal semimonthly installments as the salaries of other officers are paid.
6. (f) The deputy district attorneys appointed by the elected assistant district attorney to serve in the positions identified in subsection (b) shall be compensated at the rate consistent with their appointment in accordance with the schedule of salaries set out by subsection (g). Thereafter, increases in compensation for each deputy district attorney may be made annually within the grade scale set out in the schedule of salaries in subsection (g), provided the performance of the deputy district attorney has been satisfactory to the elected assistant district attorney. The elected assistant district attorney shall also have the authority to assign any of the deputy district attorneys to the Level I, Level II, and Level III positions as the elected assistant district attorney deems appropriate, within the limitations of subsection (b).

7. (g) The schedule of salaries, referred to below, consisting of levels and steps, shall be as follows:

   AttorneysChiefLevel ILevel IILevel III

   Step 1103,00078,00057,50038,000

   Step 2105,00080,00059,00039,500

   Step 3107,00082,00060,50041,000

   Step 4109,00084,00062,00042,500

   Step 5111,00086,00063,50044,000

   Step 6113,00088,00065,00045,500

   Step 7115,00090,00066,50047,000

   Step 8117,00092,00068,00048,500

   Step 9119,00094,00069,50050,000

   Step 10121,00096,00071,00051,500

   Step 11123,00098,00072,50053,000

   Step 12125,000100,00074,00054,500

8. (h) The compensation provided by this section shall become effective on October 1, 1997. The county governing body of the county or counties within the Tenth Judicial Circuit may increase the compensation payable by the county or counties within the Tenth Judicial Circuit as provided in the schedule of salaries at any time by resolution of the governing body. Upon passage of the resolution, the additional compensation shall be paid from the general funds of the county in semimonthly installments as the salaries of other county officers are paid.
9. (i) On or after July 1, 2022, subject to approval by the Jefferson County Commission, an additional deputy district attorney designated as a Level III deputy district attorney, shall be appointed and compensated in accordance with this section.

(Act 97-666, p. 1285, §§1-8; Act 2003-216, p. 547, §1; Act 2019-323, §1; Act 2022-429, §1.)