Arkansas Independent Citizens Commission

We'll be able to ten So we still. Have a form it can conduct business unless or some of the action by the commission I will say is false and clear this meeting is now in session would you. Is there objection would you call the roll please. German banks. Here. Jonathan Rogers here Jean Zimmerman president but but your pear. Justice tuck. Here. All right next item of business is the approval of the minutes from September eighth there were would you point out to the commission's when anybody is ninety first to say his or anybody that the disapproves or found Sullivan menace and need to be changed. We have so what we're gonna it's it's a it's a Scribner's error all that's what lawyers call it so. Go ahead if you would not only and and what needs to be added to the minutes on and on commissioner tax motion to propose that three percent for the fiscal year twenty twenty two to the judges justices in prosecuting attorneys the prosecuting attorneys is actually calculated Division a ninety five percent of the circuit judges and be eighty five percent of the Division a salary so that will be adjusted in the minutes to reflect that. Are there any other additions or corrections to the minutes. All those in favor of approving easements is written and corrected please signify by saying aye If you pose not take not that was everybody The next item is the approval of the resolution of some of September the eighth if you would just read it resolution into the record please. You have it there I came. Okay so September and that and salary adjustment resolution will be September twenty first twenty twenty one. And the salaries that will be included will be at Chief Justice of the Supreme Court justices of the Supreme Court chief judges of the court of appeals judges at the court of appeals circuit court judges state district judges prosecuting attorney division a and division B. those are the. The salaries that are that have been adjusted on the resolution. Is there of all the Sydney for discussion was there any discussion on resolution. All those in favor signify by saying aye. You posed I guess not that so everybody of the resolution is approved as written. Now I'm next item of business is the the commission discussion or per diem. you'll recall of. One We met last I told you just general conversation at the in the meeting that I thought we'd be able to get this to you in time for you to make a reasonable understanding of and re a review of what's been sent to us by way of of per diem of both the house and the Senate and house to me it's clearly understandable also told you that with the commission's approval if we found this information be satisfactory that we were going to I would entertain discussion at a motion to satisfy that are obligation under article nineteen by approving this per diem calculations and sending a report back to both the house and the Senate saying we so approved so that the any discussion at all and I'm not trying to I have no word of the. I have no works. No I'm kidding I have no words so I'm not trying to racial through this like there's no way you know what we've got no breath so thank you times anybody want to talk about it. You might any concerns the body of I'll take it then generally from your silence what we've been given by the by the cooperation both the house and the Senate we thank each one of the those folks over there that made this possible the shorter border we surely thank overall Ragland who's been here and discussed it with this and the earliest of days of this year. Mission meeting so I'm assume that that people are reasonably if not fully happy and satisfied with what they've read in my wife could commissions and per. Is there any comment from any of the folks here in attendance. All right I'm more entertain a motion that we accept. The reports of both house and Senate and we approve of the validity and credibility and accuracy of the calculations and we send of back to them I recommendation for this report to be submitted GSA both house and Senate. The fair enough is that too much. All those in favor signify by saying aye It is the the vote is unanimous. All right let's see here now Now we're to the. This is the commission discussion salary adjustment for all elected constitutional officers I think everyone has so that list of I believe. today I will be voting on the governor lieutenant governor secretary state Attorney General treasurer of the state all for the state commissioner of state lands members of the General Assembly that's both house and Senate and the Senate president pro tem and Speaker of the house. Is there any questions about. What I just read about who were who we are taking on a consideration for a salary adjustment. Is there any questions or are recommendations of how we approach this particular group I think last time we talked about Moshing it just much like we did with the judges and we. We bundle it. That I understand it correctly I'm not trying to push that on either just. All right but if you look you know in looking at all the salaries of maybe. Some of them were if you look at it compared to some of the states we're talking about comparing it to be beneficial for us to kind of just go through each one because like the governor all right you know what I mean. Governor he's higher than everybody to Tennessee with the lieutenant governor's dramatically lower than than each state that we're kind of comparing to the we looked at so I'll do whatever the group wants to just for discussion say. Let's just start with the. The one you want. I just so you start with the governor. you know what I think we were kind of compared to I will Louisiana Missouri Oklahoma Tennessee but we can look to the whole list here it's pretty well known in the media as it is you know he's at one fifty two roughly I was one thirty Louisiana is one thirty Missouri's one thirty three you want the one Mississippi there one twenty two Oklahoma is one forty seven Tennessee's of around two hundred so district start the discussion I guess. So the further comment or. Recommendation. Not. Sure. Sure. I. Obligating. Yes. Okay. And it. All my. Yes yes that was a hundred. Okay okay. Question. What. As. We are all. The cost of living raise. And I'm just happy. If I can comment of. I guess this would be a strange comment for me on given my position of I'm not understanding of or that's not correct let me rephrase that. Is there some reasonable analysis that would of. Calls the commission. To vote less than three percent of for any one of these of positions given how we approach the I mean let's just be real high I do we tell the governor or anybody else right now that the. We don't particularly. Care for three percent it is to your office so we're going to give you one I mean. It just seems to me that Not that I'm trying to get us get it somewhere on this. There's no reason to. In my opinion thank you for going give three percent to the judges. I think we should consider that to all the. It's only fair to steal me we've already come to a place yep salary last year that we felt we just. As to the accuracy of the estimate as to the lieutenant governor even know these part time disparity in another another state thanks to the it is. Standard is we're gonna put the injuries or lack there of the only offices all. Yes three percent easyjet couple times but it is yeah so. I was just with you in less than three percent okay you know my main thing was to look at You know like secretary of state. He's lower than the state the parent and by fair about so it was this group you want to look at that and maybe consider this more than three percent it's just a question I I'm I'm along with the group but I would say a minimum of three percent you know like we've done everything else I was not statistically not yet the governor lieutenant governor race and all these things together with the. We say this in response that's that's a good point to make again a second time Philosophically. I wouldn't be for more than three percent but on the other hand if there is a disparity that's that's on fire is and it's not really some of the reason it's a reasonable reason that's why there is that the spirited and we've adjusted before and that manner. To help the people we've already helped and so we do that let's do it I'm not certain on pushing down a governor and in Arkansas makes. Listen a third of what the governor. Look to surrounding states. Some within the governor's Like Tennessee of Michael saw. Other. but third also or seventy two seventy three thousand. some states like North Carolina governor's one fifty in the county governors one thirty three. In all fairness I think the governor so it looks regular. I haven't really. I am ready to study it know what one time the lieutenant governor's office was part time if for a reason because there just weren't enough official duties to be overlapping with the governor of the title that to be the case now I do know this I do know that in times past over the last two years since the commission well for one there's been synonymous that we we should not that the this is supposedly a part time legislature and it is very origin and still is but if we raise that the salaries. Of sufficiently high it will become on its own a full time job. And that's why there was a lot of discussion about per diem and short of for meetings and where you're going and what you were collected and that that has been resolved the so I'm just saying. we don't wanna have to make in some of these offices full time that maybe you're not I don't know if we don't need to. Let me inquire further into the duties and you know. We used to call people in this a of one of the duties and responsibilities on a regular basis and I. I don't know I'm not suggesting that additional what to say. I'm saying that if it's if it's on fire it's unfounded and. Well this is part time or full time that needs to be properly handle agreed to. Well I I just I mean none of these people have come to us and ask for a raise you know what I mean so I'm not saying that there's something we need to address today maybe we talk about three percent today and then over the course of time maybe that's in our term next year whatever or whatever we just kind of look at it and and see if anything does need to be adjusted because like you said no the duties of the offices is likely to governor we've we just compare salaries were not comparing job duties right to Tennessee or whatever it may be. That's a good point I do think this I think that it. That we should not give anybody anymore. Dispute I may not get it but adjust the salary to that level for this this coming year and then we're going to have a lot more work done in the interim to get our standards in line of how we really or. The justice so to speak is understood our discussion and intellectually so. But I don't mean to not go through any one of these that you won't talk about the. As I understand what you're saying is we're going to go ahead and consider three percent cost of living increase but have the ability to do further study. And and review because I would like to have more information about exactly The duties of what particular office holders do in other states and if we're not where we should be we could certainly aide yes but I don't want to overpay either if it is a part time position based on hours and duties performed well of that's good point let me pull this out to you to remember that under article nineteen we can call other meetings after reward three percent if we have learned through proper information that that was either not fair that's not fair enough parts to fair yes so we can do we can do what we're talking about an animal for we for our or examine a. salaries for adjustment next year. what James Sturch what is your right chairman that. the. Legislature under our constitution is a part time legislature. That the current. I think we have to be. All. Comparing apples and oranges with other state. Or wow. You know what you're our constitution put together. So I would agree. dealing solely at this time when the three percent for all of these options. At this meeting. The information about the. Of each. Do we. Hello. I can Kerr thank you thank you for your comments yes of. I'll entertain a motion if you want. motion on the floor for the group the group as a whole I make a motion to of the three percent adjustment to offices that we discussed already in the city to be governor lieutenant governor Attorney General secretary of state treasurer state auditor. Missioner state lands members of the General Assembly Senate president pro tempore Speaker of the house referred. There's a motion and a second on the floor is for the discussion of any of any hi. All those in favor say aye he opposed. The motion is unanimous. All right of. There's not is there not a new businesses or. He business. I would like to. Shall the next. our discussion. The issue that Dalby attorney from the attorney general's office brought up so that she can be present during that discussion. I think that's fine I don't I don't have any problem with. Okay. Anybody else. But one with the the I will do wondrous nine I'm sure you do. I'm sure she. So yeah. All right is there any hope is is. The market is. Public. All. One thousand. We should all have today. Okay so we're going to have to have. A meeting to approve or can we do this by phone not the home. That right I understand this is the next step in the process and all we have to do is we we see. They made about it. Comments are you will not. Hold. Another ten days for. Okay. Any other. The other. Discussion and motions. Comments. Would be we know. When it will be the day when the phone where you. DO want to. I can't do it from October second. That would be nice. Well this is at a Friday. The only problem that. I'm doing a phone call to vote on that resolution as written. On October first all right listeners J.. Phone call will. Yeah. Yeah. Nine AM we're going to change the time one hour. We will leave our meetings at ten vote on that for that vote nine o'clock is that alright with everybody. All right out all the information all right we're good. I'm on a clear so journalists or somebody. Thank you all for being here I appreciate you good said. I apologize for not being paid on my calendar for tomorrow instead of today. We will take notice and absence okay.