2023-09-19 Salary Commission MinutesSALARY COMMISSION
City of Edmonds
PUBLIC HEARING
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
City Hall, Fourtner Room
121 5' Avenue North
Edmonds Washington, 98020
3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Present: Kathy Ehrlich (Position 1)
Gary Holton (Position 2)
Angela Zhang (Position 3)
Bill Taylor (Position 4)
Emily Wagener, Sr. HR Analyst
1. Call to order
Mr. Taylor called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m. and was slightly delayed due to zoom issues.
2. Approve agenda.
Mr. Taylor spoke the Meeting Agenda as follows:
1. Await participants for the public hearing, either in person or via zoom.
2. Review and Approve meeting minutes for the meeting dates of 8/16, 8/29, 8/30 & 9/5.
Mr. Holton made a motion to approve the agenda as spoken; Ms. Ehrlich seconded; the motion
carried.
3. Meeting Minute Approval
The commission agreed that the second page of the 8/29 minutes was unclear. Ms. Wagener
confirmed she would have the 8/29 minutes verified and bring the minutes back at a later date for
approval.
There was discussion surrounding the minute meeting process and associated delays. The
Commission noted that future Salary Commissions may choose to have a different process
surrounding meeting minutes.
Ms. Wagener confirmed she would be taking minutes for the current public hearing.
Mr. Holton made a motion to approve the meeting minutes for the meeting dates of 8/16, 8/30 &
9/5 as presented. Ms. Zhang seconded; the motion carried.
There was some discussion about the ability to approve meeting minutes via a zoom meeting. Ms.
Wagener confirmed that a zoom meeting would need to be noticed like any public meeting and a
physical location available for the public to attend. Ms. Wagener indicated she would assist with
that as needed.
Ms. Wagener confirmed she would bring any other available meeting minutes to the public hearing
scheduled for 9/20/2023.
4. Public Hearing
Mr. Taylor said that the Salary Commission had adopted the City Council's format for the public
hearing, including a three -minute time limit for public comment.
Roger Pence, Edmonds, stated he was speaking as a Citizen of Edmonds and explained that his
candidacy for City Council does not affect his comments. He stated that in his perception there does
not seem to be a whole lot of respect for City Council Members and that, in the current capitalist
system, we should pay people what they are worth and based on what they contribute and are
hired to do. He continued explaining that the work of the current seven City Council Members is
"pretty serious stuff" and the decisions they make effect thousands of people and result in millions
of dollars in taxpayer spending and the best are desired to be elected to those positions. He stated
that he was "taken aback" when he read the Salary Commission's draft decision and at the bottom
of page 5 the Commission believes that Edmonds City Council is a minimum wage job. He continued
to explain that this is not a good construct and not healthy for the City. He noted the $500 bonus
for low-income council members which brings their hourly rate up to about $20 per hour, which he
compared to those working for DICK's drive in. He stated his wishes for the Commission to find a
way to provide more adequate compensation for the City Council. He referenced an email
previously submitted to the commission and said that there ought to be something more than the
black and white statement that you believe the City of Edmonds is best served by council members
who work for the least salary of anybody in city hall. He ended by saying he wished (the
Commission) would do something better.
5. Next Steps and Action Items
The commission discussed the public comment received and agreed on minor adjustments to the
language on the bottom of page 5, for clarity. Mr. Taylor will make those changes and submit the
revised document to Ms. Emily Wagener in time for the Thursday council agenda deadline.
The Commission confirmed that a future meeting is scheduled for 9/27/2023 at 7:00 PM. Ms.
Wagener said she would secure a room and generate public notices as needed.
6. Adjourn
Meeting adjourned at 6:00 PM