ARKANSAS INDEPENDENT CITIZENS COMMISSION

AI recap

Transcript

So, I want to thank you on behalf of this group, for putting all this together. It's very, very helpful. I think that, again, our primary purpose was to look at the audit treasure secretary state and the land commissioner, and personally, I didn't see anything and the information that we had that would cause us to move beyond the 2% recommendation that we had made. I would open it up for discussion now with any of the other members of the commission. I'll just weigh in, thanks Mr. May, TJ, thank you for this information. It's very helpful, but it is a lot of information, and so I think I would echo Mr. May's comments about, at least at this point, there's nothing in here where I feel I'm in a position to go beyond what we did at the last meeting with the 2% race. I am mindful of the charge of this commission about how we've got to review and adjust the salaries of everybody, including those four positions, and I think what the information we have is that there may be a gap there that we need to adjust. I don't feel like this is the meeting, though, where we have the information that I have the information necessary to go beyond what we did. I heard a comment by Commissioner Hugh Song, which I think is good. I think that one thing we ought to do perhaps is to avoid a little bit of the time crunch that sometimes we face here at the end of the year is perhaps earlier in the process next year to get together with the purpose to learn a little bit more about these offices, perhaps have representatives from the office appear before the commission to answer questions and allow the commission to get in a little bit better position, at least from my perspective to maybe make a larger deviation for certain individual positions. So that's my thoughts on where we stand today. Thank you. Thank you, Larry. Rob? Yeah. Thank you, Vice Chair. I agree with Larry's comments as well, I think next year looking at it, we could spend a little more time in reviewing the positions and how they compare with other positions. The other thing I had suggested to Larry as well is it might be a good two to get on some kind of a pattern where that's a lot of work to do for ancillary people like TJ and others that we ask to go get all this information. That's a lot of information to gather. I almost feel like it'd be better to look at a three-year period where maybe do nominal inflationary adjustment races two years and a third-year look more holistically and deeper into these positions to make sure that we make larger adjustments if we need that time to make sure they're staying, commemorative with other positions of other states. Rob, that's great comments and Larry, thank you for your comments. I think that one of the things we want to make sure of is that we get those comments in our minutes and we need to have that communications with our chairman. That means that there's at our next meeting next year, we want to start a little bit earlier on some homework that she could provide us and then we could have that discussion in that first meeting and say where we go from there, TJ. I think this is probably all good. I think it would benefit this commission to have more time and more information. One of the problems is under the Arkansas FOIA law, trying to figure out if we're going to set some new schedule is something to require some communication. That communication all has to be public. It would be easiest if we were out in the real world we'd say, hey, let's all email and kind of figure out how we want to do this moving forward. That can't be how it works here. So to the extent that you all want to create some new schedule, let's something that we have to do here in this open meeting. So if you all want to discuss it, again, it kind of puts you in the same position y'all are in when you have to make these decisions on salary. It's a decision y'all probably need to make today and it's one of the nice things about the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act is the sausage gets made in public and maybe y'all need to make that sausage here in public today and say here's what we want. Here's how early we want it. Here's what we'd like from the auditor state. If they want, if y'all want invites from other offices, let us know what that looks like. That way we can go ahead and implement that when we move into the New Year after the next legislative session. Okay, so what I hear you saying is that if we have a charge that we want to do something a little bit different than we've done in the past, we need to go ahead and articulate that right now and get that in the managed, is that what you're saying? Yes, sir, maybe the best way to do it so that we stick with the agenda and I don't have a copy of the agenda in front of me, but I think right now we're deliberating on the salary decisions that were made at the last meeting and whether or not to ratify them. So maybe the best way to organize this is go ahead and finish that deliberation, decide salary adjustments, y'all would like to ratify if any. And then if we want to discuss restructuring the meeting timing and the information is provided, we can address that in new business. Does that make sense? That way we're not conflating the two. And just as a commissioner's review salary just, okay, so and just as a reminder, we have two items that y'all decided at the last meeting, both of which would need to be ratified at this meeting. The first we have is the recommendations, again, y'all just make recommendations, y'all don't actually make the determinations on the per diem and mileage for the general assembly. And then you also have the salary decisions, which y'all just had some discussion on and I believe that discussion remains open. So y'all could take those in turn, whichever y'all would like to take first. But I think that's where we are right now. Am I on the right path, Erin? Okay. Well, assuming I understand exactly what you're guiding us with who first do a ratification of the recommendation of the 2% increase that we discussed at our last meeting. So at this point I would entertain a motion for approval. I would move that we ratify the increase that we made in terms of the salary adjustment, verbatim on what was discussed and approved by the commission at the last meeting. Thank you Larry, you've heard a motion, we have a second. Have a second, from Rob, thank you and any discussion, any other questions on favor say abstentions? So approve, thank you, it's approved, next item would be the salary adjustment recommendation. Did you, I think you'll just handle the salary increases so the next item would be the per-dem and mileage recommendation for the general assembly. And just as a reminder, the determinations you all made last week or at the last meeting rather were to follow the published guidance from DFNA financial management guide for all state employees to the extent that exists. If that guidance does not exist in the financial management guide, then you then defer to the GSA. Okay, we're going to accept a motion on the item just as articulated by T.J., we have a motion. This is Roger Song, I have a motion to approve. Thank you Rob, motion. Second. We have a second by Larry, I don't know if I would say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Aye. Arthur. Thank you. Part. Approved. So, next item on the discussion would be T.J. At this point we're at new business, so if the commission wanted to discuss any changes they want to make, either to meeting timing, meeting frequency, or the information received during meetings they may do so, and I should give a caveat to what I had stated earlier. Any communications between commissioners, obviously the art software requires it to be here. To extent, y'all need information from me, y'all can always send me an email, right? I am not a commissioner, I am a staff person, so if we get down the road and y'all make some changes, but then you decide, hey, I'd also like to have this information, you can always send me that email, and then I can publish that request and make sure that occurs. So I didn't want to, I didn't want what I said earlier to seem as a limit to your ability to communicate with me, your wants and needs, but to the extent we're making commission decisions and there's communication among commissioners that needs to occur in the public meeting. All right. Okay. Okay, then I think we're on a new business, is that right? Yes, sir. Okay. Is there any new business that needs to come before the group, hearing none? Well, I don't know if this is new business or next meeting, I would, following up on what commissioner Huesong recommended. I would like to set an earlier meeting date, perhaps next summer sometime, June, July. We can talk about it at the next section, and I would, at that, I would like that, that we provide an invitation to any of the state offices to send a representative to appear before the commission and answer questions that we might have about duties, functions, things of that nature, so that we can take that information, process it, and then be in a better position when we meet more of the sort of normal cadence that we've met at over the last few years to consider adjustments that might need to be made. Very, what I hear you saying is, again, that we would like to establish a time in which this group can come together and look at the salaries where we are, maybe take a little bit deeper dive to see if there are certain changes that we need to have more detailed information and more detailed conversation. So at this time, I guess everybody needs to look at their calendar and see if there is a time that we can, I guess, Mrs. Zimmerman, you'll be off. I think I'll be off. And that's something I was going to bring up during new business, but I think now is an appropriate time. So under the Constitution, commissioners can only serve two terms on this commission. And so I believe as of November 5th, two of our commissioners will be rolling off commissioners Zimmerman, Commissioner Gwynne. Thank you both so much for your service, and it's been great working with you for the last couple of years. But the governor's office has already been informed, and they should be making an appointment of two new commissioners at that time. Well, what were having that discussion, do you know when I go off? I do. It's on a sheet that should be in Wendy's folder. You don't think it's in there? We have a spreadsheet. We may not have it. I apologize. Wendy is out sick today. And I was out sick all last half of last week, so we're not, I guess what I'm trying to say is that in scheduling this meeting, we need to make sure that we're taking into consideration those people that are still going to be on the commission. I know that I won't be. I don't think that I will be. But regardless, Larry and Rob, if you all want to give us some dates to consider. Okay, and I've got a question for TJ. How can we handle it? Because I would like to be sure we take into account just this tux schedule as well, because I think her participation would be important to have. And so is there a way we can, do we have to set the meeting date today, or is that something that can be deferred until we have a chance, both for new appointees on as well as for those who aren't here and not participating via telephone? We can handle setting the date through staff individually, and then posting that meeting notice on the website. I already need to have what are your thoughts there? Yes, your office could send out individual emails to each commission or commissioners. You cannot answer each other, so you can do a group reply anytime, two or more commissioners converse. That's a public meeting that triggers the notice requirements for FOIA. So TJ, your office could send out individual emails asking for what dates are the best, and then you could set it and put out notice once you set that date, once the office sets that date. Let's just make sure that we know who's going to still be on the commission before we actually send that out, so make sure that we have the new appointees. All for this is a solution. It sounds like you'd like to meet some time in the summer, so you've got time to process before October, November, as you're approaching the next legislative session or fiscal session, as it may be next time. I'll follow up with an email after this meeting that has the dates where each of the commissioners their term ends, and will also request some dates maybe in June and July, send those back to me individually, and then we'll process those individually, come up with some consensus. I'll then communicate that consensus to the commissioners, and we'll get that posted on the website. Does that work? So I guess the takeaway is, we'll start the process after this meeting, no action item for you until you hear from me. I like that suggestion, TJ. Thank you. Okay, thanks. First of all, for the recommendation and getting this together, I think group discussion like this ahead of time goes a long, long way. And TJ, thank you for your thoughts and ideas there. So we'll just move forward with maybe some dates to follow at a later date. And that makes sense. The other thing I think I heard the commission say was that there may be some additional information you would like in those meetings. If you'll have some notion of what that is, some discussion in the public meeting here might be warranted, although you could always send it to me individually, the issue is if you send it to me individually, then I have to disseminate, and we have to come back and deliberate about it later. So all that to say, if you have some idea of what additional information might be helpful or what additional communications commissioner McCready, you might like to see go to the offices to request either their input. If you all wanted to take tours of their offices, we could make those requests. If you wanted to meet with either representative or the elected official, we can make all those requests. I can't promise that the offices will be willing or able, but now may be the best time to sort of deliberate that and decide what, if anything, you want in addition to what we currently provide. Any of the commissioners that are present, like to weigh in, what you might like to have available for that meeting? This is Rob, for me would be helpful as I have a listing at each position, what the responsibilities are, just a summary, I don't need to detail. But then also an idea of, is it a full-time, part-time position, and then we have some positions that are or some are not, so it would be nice to have that clarified on the front end. And just an overall, just like one page or less summary, I don't mean anything larger than that. And then also include the information that you've already provided us, which I think is very helpful in a lot to look through, too. Yes, sir, I can do that. Larry, do you have any additional information? I don't have any other information, I think that's helpful, for me the best thing is to have a representative so I can ask questions. I do like the idea of a tour, so we better understand what these people do, what they look like and where they are, and that'd be a good idea. The good news is, with one exception, they're all in this building, so we're in the building of Jason, I should say. Okay, is there anything else that needs to come before the group on new business? I don't know if we ever decided on the meeting date. Is that something that we need to do right now? No, my understanding is that I'm going to follow up with an email offering some dates in either June or July, to which y'all can each respond individually back to me and we can come to a consensus and then I'll post a notice on the website when a consensus is made as when the next meeting will occur. And also, Commissioner McCready, to speak to one thing you had said, one additional piece of information you'd asked for was having a representative in about June or July every year, we send out a letter to each of the offices that y'all have oversight for the salaries and we ask them there's any information they want to provide, some do some don't. Right now, I think what I would do in response to your request is in that letter, we'd go ahead and include the date of the meeting and include an invitation in that same letter if that would be satisfactory. That's great idea. I'd appreciate that. Okay. We have Regent Z. Do you mind if I could have a question? I did have a couple of questions about the tours. Would those tours have to be on an individual basis or if they're all together is that constituted meeting that we have to publish? That would constitute a meeting and you would have to record whatever happens during that tour and I would also have to be part of the minutes. And the public would also be allowed to come on that tour if there are any public members that come to the meeting. Gotcha. Okay. Anybody else have anything to come before the group? I did have another question about as far as the representation. I know that we've asked for them to be present or something. I know there may be some parties that may be willing and some parties that may not be for view of, it may look good or bad for them to be in a situation to show up to talk about their pay. What if we, I'm hesitant to say this because I'm not sure what authority we have but is there some way we can more than request an audience, not actually with them but at least a representative that they can sit on their behalf. I'm not aware of any legal authority in this commission's creation and the constitution that would require a representative from any of these offices to attend. I don't think there's any subpoena power or anything like that. All you can do is ask and I think what you said is astute in that the reason that this body was created was because there are just some realities about elected officials and salaries and the general assembly setting those salaries before was problematic. So it's possible that people wouldn't attend and wouldn't mean that to be an insult. It's just the way they view their role and how it interplays with this commission. Mr. Chairman, is there any time available for just a personal point of privilege? Absolutely. I just like that. Let me recognize Jan Zimmerman and also before you say a thing, I want to thank you for all that you have done. For this body, you've been very effective and we appreciate it. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. It has been one of my life's greatest privilege to serve with all of you and to get to know you in a different light. And I thank you. This is a very, very important commission and the work that we do is very detailed and a lot of reading, but it is I think with the beginning of this commission and what we've been charged to do, I think this commission has stayed on point and you will continue on. I'm sure sometimes maybe I'll drop in for a little meeting or what's going on. But again, thank you so much for your friendship and the privilege to serve with all of you. Thank you very much, Jan. We appreciate you. We look forward to hearing about your honey and opportunities also and fishing again, your passion. So I thank each one of you for your attendance, your attention to the details and at this point in time, unless there's anything else to come before the group, we'll stand adjourned. Thank you. I'd like to make a motion to adjourn. We have a motion. We have a second. Second. Mr. McCreedy, second. All papers, aye. Aye. Aye. Any pass? We're adjourned. Mr. McCreedy's I have.