Independent Citizens Commission

Tion I would like for of our staff person don occurred to read to read off the names so that we can. Confirm of who is here and who will be here by phone. Share in a bill tech here vice chair Tommy may. Philip Fletcher. Not here Franklin. Jonathan Rogers. Not here Jan Zimmerman is on a conference call. Clark Smith here. I declare a quorum present. And I would like to make some opening remarks before we began and approved the minutes of just for the record of please note of. Before the meeting purposes even though they're on the website that the commission salary commission has received several letters of from members of the legislature specifically from the house of representatives and of a couple of letters from the Senate including a letter from us Senator Blake Johnson who is the more Majority Leader and then Ben Gilmore also with us signed on with Howard Beatty junior and David Wright. and of the The request here's Jonathan thank you. That's fine. Well anyway thank you very much and so we we have. A full house. Basically they some of these opinions of express say that salary raises are not currently warranted. some of them say not at this time so there are some differences I really expected some legislators to be here to perhaps stress the point but they've made the record and so that is sufficient for so let's move forward and look at the minutes for January twentieth our last meeting I will ask if there are any of. Any corrections or if there is a motion to approve. I move the. Thank you a second. Second thank you Mr Smith and that of I would ask all in favor say yes. Yes yes yes yes all opposed to say no. Okay passed unanimously all. So our minutes are approved and now we go to the review of the written and oral comments following the publication of the proposed salary adjustment resolution which was published timely and has been on our website and so I would like to open the floor up for discussion by the members of the commission. as I say the we recently on on February the fourteenth received a letter from several legislate tors actually one letter signed by several legislators asking that the increases should be reviewed at a late later time on and some of the discussion in each letter concerns issues that are facing our state in budgetary needs of teacher pay at a court prison space tax relief and also there is a state wide hiring freeze and basically taking the position that it's not an urgent priority at this time in the face of extraordinary levels of inflation. four people you know out of in Arkansas workers and families who do not receive a commensurate pay increase so they're basically taking the position at this time it would be inappropriate to raise the legislative pay so I'm going to open the floor and allow discussion by. Right members of the commission. I would personally like to put it off for. Yes. Like to have discussions with so many of our General Assembly responding that we need to maybe take a step back let's look may be involved Senate testimony and have a little bit more information regarding the changes in the day. Thank you very much. Agrees will that we should and should postpone the discussion Because the letter that we received on the fourteen contain forty the county correct forty plus signatures so. Ten degrees should. To me this is separate from what we do is prosecuting attorneys and judges you know what I mean especially since it's a full time job which the time so I'm gonna grants with everybody else here and to me it's one of those deals we do this annually anyway you know what I mean for every that's our job to do it for everyone and obviously we can even bring this up next year this appropriate time that basically said this year's you know they don't they don't see that so obviously we can save the state dollars if they're satisfied with with with where they're at to me the biggest deal is you know we want to be compatible to other states around us. not a lot lower than not a lot higher you know what I mean so we we want them to be paid we want to be paid fairly for what they do if they're happy with what they have the ball means this will save the state money. I thank Johnson said it very well to concur with the and the other. Comment. I'm I'm first of all I agree with all of you but second of all I would you want to make a couple of points and you know inflation affects everybody including legislators in the past Legislature drawers have never come to us period. But we've never had this kind of response either. and I can understand that except the pot of money they're talking about is not the pot of money that these races come from so it's apples and oranges in terms of where the money comes from will have absolutely no impact according to Robert Braxton on on on this money because it's already divvied out of but there is really a good reason to delay and I say this because I want to make sure it's understood that. We are not. We are not looking at appearance. We are looking at evidence evidence based. We are looking at facts figures on including inflation so we are not in the business of worrying about how it appears both politically because. That's not. That's not on our what I'm going to call our We're not elected. And so we're not worrying about appearance but I do think one of the fact some of the facts that we have not had for these purposes because of the legislative session is that we did not get. The up to date information about. Other compatible legislate tore legislature pays like we did the last time if you recall the What is it bureau said they couldn't do that study for us for these purposes because of the Legislative load their carry and that is perfectly legitimate and so we were making a decision actually without knowing that. And I think for that reason I'm very willing to delay not just because the lead because obviously these legislate tors represent their constituencies but it's not the entire legislature. So I'm not going to assume that they're speaking for everybody but they are speaking more than they have in the past. So I guess all I wanted to put on the table was that we do not have sufficient real information to make the the evidence based decision that we've made in the past and so I will entertain a motion to delay consideration of this be primer we're at the resolution stage. So this resolution and if you want to say a particular time. Maybe we should do that say next year or whatever you know you mentioned a couple of months I'd like us to have that discussion so we're real clear yes sure Tucker for may this is TJ Feller staff the auditor's office there are two sets of pay increases it shall of considered input to public comment one is legislated one is executive branch I just wanted to bring that tells attention if if you all it since the the executive branch has already been put through the public comment period you could still make a determination on it or you could put it in a bag with the legislative so we need to consecutive or bringing that to my attention I I was putting it all together so if if we could discuss that as well so I'll entertain a motion. Okay so in terms of making that decision. Would it be correct to add to the motion when more information becomes available from the bureau of legislative affairs on compare herbal salaries in the region. Yes. Well. I agree that. We certainly ought to delay until we have the information as our chairman has indicated hello it takes but that's that relate to that frame that we ought to come back together. If we are required to sort of set a date I guess we can set a date and then we can extend that is necessary so let's just go with six months okay and then and then at six months we'll see I would I would. Say if I might that I think we'll get what Johnson said and. Also recognized is that In in water chairman said at the beginning this is it you know what we are all about is doing the right thing and do it doing the right thing required information. Of the data that we have is it is not current it's got to be done right sort of a detailed analysis that I mentioned before if you take two four areas of compensation and so forth we're we will write a monthly other fat states that were compared to I believe that that is a good comparison so if we get the update that leaves state. That's what I would feel comfortable in doing. Well we have haven't got a second yet so do you ask that Mr Quinn amend his motion and. Okay. Okay and so it's open for discussion now yes madam chair the motion was to delay it okay need to specify what it means. Right. Do you want to separate that. Both both and okay they were located in a that's fine because we can do the same for the state the information for the for the constitutional officers right have a have a survey. the other category. Yes I I think I can be provided I don't know that the bureau of legislative research did that for the executive officers in the past I think that was provided separately or well it may have been I but I think it's available and I think we may have had the more recent for the executive offices already. Okay well so there is no there is no new information on that correct that's why they maybe separate in the metric the child or discussing at the moment. And. Well obviously. We're not going to ask the legislative bureau to do the legislative analysis until after the session and you know that'll be clearly. With the. We don't know how the legislative session the last sometimes they extend sometimes they known for its reasons so I think six months is a good is a good middle point remind me when A increase is going to affect once we approve them and their. Thanks ten days after filing with the auditor of state's office so it doesn't wait for the fiscal year. It is so I guess the to answer your more direct questions I think you're asking are we delaying raises by waiting the six months and the answer is yes you are you would be effectively delaying the fiscal year starts July of one yes Sir so maybe that we meet. You know before before July one they they would have time to give us this information will also know the effects of whatever legislative session is on budget and things like that okay the agree with that What we could and we may not do anything then but but we have a more time to look at everything and and see what we want to just a thought so. We if we talk about that I can amend that motion of course well I guess. So he stayed very so for both for both okay so we're clear that it's now for both and if we want to have effective July one it needs to be less than six months. So. It should. We we can do it and uh Q.. In may because we have to okay right okay so we will postpone consideration because we don't we don't know what our decision will be but we will postpone reconsideration until. May one. And or we can go ahead and I'd hate to complicate this and set a date because we're all available at this time. In may. If that would agree so we can just go ahead and set a meeting date is that okay non. Look at our calendars. Jan do you have a calendar with you while you're. Okay. Okay the first Friday in may is may the fifth. Pardon Cinco de Mayo. May the fifth. Fifty nine not good for you okay if we go to the next Friday the twelfth will that leave us enough time for all. The twelfth going going. You're good. Jan. Okay. We will postpone consideration until may the twelfth and if you'll put on your calendars because I know that's the graduation time is approaching and scope people have lots of graduates Manner share yes think you'll need to take a vote on that post okay okay formal motions with the second I can't over doing the parliamentary job I appreciate it because sometimes I just plowing ahead. may I have a motion. Okay two weeks and the second. Check okay. Any discussion. All in favor of the motion to postpone consideration until may the twelfth. Yes yes yes. Post. K. it passes unanimously now we're back to the motion and the second made by Mr Quinn's. And if you will just repeat it for the record. The reconsidered read. Reconsider thank. On both thank you a second. Second okay now any discussion. Yes. Madam chair the next time you meet will entail a new motion and a new proposal here I'd be the it can be the same one you've just done but what I'm referring to. Is I just read it to me get miles back on it Yeah the opportunity for public comment under this subdivision shall not exceed forty five days so your current motion is no longer up for public consideration. Effectively dies now but it may be re proposed by the twelfth just to keep within the time within the time for. Right. So it it's a total re opening of the issue because it should not hang in limbo not going to reconsider this motion you will reconsider the proposals and may the twenty. Or both executive the legend the exact the. The constitutional officers that would allow another comment period right the following right. Any further discussion. If not I'd ask for those who approve to say yes. Yes yes and those who disapprove to say no. I joined the yes for these purposes so that will be our decision and minutes will be prepared so they will be available at the next meeting on may the twelfth and I I really appreciate everybody being here today And understand jams long term plans that had been on the books for quite awhile so I I do appreciate everybody on in the discussion we have had some times. We need to back up. And as I was thinking through all of this my real concern was. The information we needed at least for the legislative branch so that you know. Per se come. The the the judicial side which is always evidence based. So that's where I was winning but I appreciate where legislators are coming from I don't want to say I don't but I do think our job is to make sure we're basing our decisions on on evidence and. The fact that it was not. It was not of something where every legislator or expressed an opinion. If the if there's nothing else any new business or all business. We have already set our meeting date.