Loading...
2019-07-17 Salary Commission MinutesSALARY COMMISSION Meeting Minutes SPECIALLY CALLED MEETING Wednesday, July 17, 2019 7:00 pm Police Department Training Room 250 5t" Ave. N., Edmonds, WA 98020 Present: Jay Grant, Chair Ava Dubno, Vice -Chair Jeff Hodson, Commissioner Marilynne Beard, Consultant, MMB Consulting Excused: Carl Zapora Commissioner Don Hall, Commissioner CALL TO ORDER Chair Grant called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Grant asked the Commissioners if they had any changes to the agenda. Commissioner Hodson moved approval of the Agenda. The agenda was approved as submitted. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chair Grant asked the Commissioners if there were any changes to the Meeting Minutes of the July 11, 2019 meeting. Commissioner Hodson asked if typographical errors had to be approved; the Chair said no, they can simply be submitted to Ms. Beard provided the edit is not substantive or changes the meaning of the record. Vice -Chair Dubno moved approval of the July 11, 2019 minutes. The Meeting Minutes were approved as submitted with the correction of typographical errors. PUBLIC COMMENT There were no public comments received. DISCUSSION ITEMS Review and Update of Additional Data Received since Last Meeting ELW 7/2/2019 • Wage and Benefit Comparable Cities -- Ms. Beard described the updates and changes in format that were incorporated in the 2019 Mayor/Council Wage and Benefit Comparable Cities table: o Updated information for Lynnwood and Wenatchee (Lynnwood Mayor's current salary still pending) o Added General Fund tax base information for all cities that had not responded o Placed footnotes at the bottom of the table previously shown in the "notes" column o Organized cities according to form of government with all Strong Mayor/Council cities first and all Council/City Manager cities second. o Added an average wage for all Strong Mayors, Councilmembers and Council Presidents. o Cities that had not responded were moved to the end and highlighted in yellow (all Council/City Manager) • Comparable Cities FTE's and Population — Ms. Beard converted the table provided in the binders from Word to Excel to allow for data sorts and added a column for FTE per 1,000 population. Chair Grant noted that some of the Strong Mayor/Council cities were missing from the table. Ms. Beard will add them. • Updated Cost of Living Adjustments — Data for 2018 and 2019 had not been added to the History of Cost of Living Adjustments due to staff availability during the short period between Commission meetings. Data should be available by the next meeting. • Availability of Alternate Meeting Rooms — Staff was unable to identify an alternate location for Salary Commission meetings in City Hall or in the Public Safety Complex due to conflicts with other groups and after-hours accessibility. The Commission agreed to continue to meet in the Police Training Room with enhanced signage. Commission Topics of Interest or Concerns Chair Grant discussed via phone with Adrienne Fraley-Monillas, the Edmond's_City Council President, the Salary Commission's work and how best to reach out to Councilmembers for their input. Their meeting included a discussion about the relationship between Council Compensation and the ability to attract a variety of candidates for open positions. In addition to regular Council meetings, Councilmembers are assigned to Council Committees and regional committees, which can amount to a significant time commitment and, in some cases, may result in inconsistent attendance at committee meetings. The Commission discussed the importance of Councilmembers' attendance at all assigned committee meetings as well as City Council meetings. There may be laws or local rules about the number of unexcused absences per year that are allowed for each Councilmember at regular Council meetings; however, the Commission was unaware of any similar rule for assigned committee attendance. It was noted that the Council's compensation was brought up to par with the average. However, in order look at further increases and offer some form of measurement other than just comparing what other similar jurisdictions are paying, it was discussed how best to measure accountability. In some cities, Councilmembers are paid a base salary plus additional pay for the number of Council meetings they attended. If they attend all scheduled meetings of the Council, they receive the additional pay. If not, their additional pay is reduced to reflect the number of meetings they attended. The Commission discussed the possibility of including an incentive for consistent attendance by providing additional pay or a disincentive for not attending meetings by deducting pay. It was noted that a previous Edmonds Salary Commission eliminated such a system. The Commission asked to get more information about how payment for meeting attendance works in other cities and confirmation about whether the salaries shown in the Comparable Cities table includes the base pay plus additional pay for meeting attendance. After a lengthy discussion on accountability., it was agreed they would like to explore this direction. Several questions emerged as to measuring accountability for attending all Council meetings as well as assigned committees. They would like more information about how attendance is tracked for Lynnwood elected officials. Understanding the Councilmembers are elected officials and how to measure accountability would be a consideration. Chair Grant shared documents from the City of Lynnwood that he found interesting, including a City Councilmember Job Description and City Council Member Responsibilities. The Commission will continue their discussion about developing a compensation model that is linked to constituent accountability. The Commission had further discussion about how to best conduct outreach to the public and the City Council. In the previous process, members of the public could respond to an online survey, which was publicized through local media. The Council and Mayor were provided questionnaires to complete. Half the Council members responded; more than two dozen citizens responded to the online survey. The Commission discussed ways to better publicize the work of the Commission and to encourage even more response and public participation this year. The Commission will discuss the survey at the next meeting, including the number and types of questions to include. They would like to reach out to community groups to include the Chamber of Commerce, Lions, the Rotary; Kiwanis, Edmond's Moms and Next Door to distribute and to provide information to the public about the Salary Commission and a link to the survey. The Commission wanted to have some of their earlier questions answered about meeting attendance before they determine which questions to ask. The Commission agreed that it will be important to get a survey out to the City Council soon, possibly next week. Agenda items for the next Commission meeting will include a Public Hearing (the first of two), further discussion about survey questions and development of a list of community groups that can assist in distributing surveys. Commission Meeting Schedule • Wednesday, July 24, 2019, 7:00 pm— Commission Meeting and Public Hearing • Wednesday, August 7, 2019, 7:00 pm — Commission Meeting • Wednesday, August 14, 2019, 7:00 pm — Commission Meeting • Wednesday, August 21, 2019 7:00 pm — Commission Meeting and Public Hearing • Wednesday, September 11, 2019 7:00 pm — Commission Meeting Ms. Beard noted that a press release had been drafted regarding the upcoming Public Hearing on July 24. OTHER There were no other items for discussion. Chair Grant adjourned the meeting at 9:02 p.m. ATTACHMENTS City of Lynnwood Council Member Job Description City of Lynnwood Council Member Responsibilities CITY OF LYNNWOOD JOB DESCRIPTION Title: City Council Member Lynnwood Status Part Time, Elected Summary Final: 0512015 Among the Council's primary duties are to make laws, adopt regulations and budgets, levy taxes, authorize public improvements, provide for public safety and health, approve board and commission appointments, oversee a wide-ranging agenda for the citizens and to exercise the powers that State Statutes and City Ordinances empower the Council Members to lawfully govern the community. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Includes but is not limited to such essential functions as listed below: ♦ Regularly and thoroughly prepare for each Council Meeting; read and review agenda material provided; become familiar with the City Comprehensive Plans, City Budget, Capital Improvement Plan, City Policies and other City documents that impact City policy. ♦ Participate in discussion of issues; receive input from various sources and carefully considers all perspectives. ♦ Respond to constituent requests for information or assistance. ♦ Participate in community strategic and long range planning. ♦ Adopt the bi-annual City budget. ♦ Approve expenditures of City funds. ♦ Work with citizen advisory committees established by the City Council to formulate recommendations to the City Council on policies and projects. Each Council Member is expected to take committee assignments and attend all committee meetings. ♦ Serve as Council liaison to intergovernmental programs; serve on regional and state- wide boards, committees, commissions and task forces to advance and protect the interests of the residents of the City of Lynnwood. ♦ Review and approve capital improvements for the City. ♦ Set and interpret rules governing Council proceedings. ♦ Participate in community civic events. ♦ Perform other duties established by ordinance, resolution, contract or regulation. Minimum Requirements ♦ Elected by City of Lynnwood residents. ♦ Must be eligible to vote in the State of Washington. Must be a City of Lynnwood resident for at least one year prior to election. City Council Member Compensation Per Lynnwood Municipal Code 2.48.192, each elected or appointed City of Lynnwood Council Member shall receive a base payment per month plus a `per meeting' payment bank. Base payment: The base payment for each Council Member is $900 per month. The Council President shall receive an additional $200 per month for the additional responsibilities of the position. Per Meeting payment: Council Members who attend five regular scheduled council meetings shall have earned the full $750 payment. If a Council Member attends less that the five regular scheduled council meetings, a $150 deduction for the `per meeting' payment bank shall occur for each meeting missed. In addition to Base and Per Meeting compensation, provided that applicable policies are satisfied, Council Members and their eligible dependents are eligible to receive health benefits at the same levels and premiums provided to non -represented regular full-time employees. L LYNNWOOD WASWINGTON CITY COUNCIL CITY COUNCIL MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES City of Lynnwood, Washington INTRODUCTION: Thank you for your interest in serving on the Lynnwood City Council. The citizens and stakeholders of our community desire and deserve council members who are proud of our past accomplishments and have a passion for our future opportunities. Each council members is expected to reach out to all segments of our city. In anticipation of serving on the City Council, you are strongly encouraged to give serious consideration to several critical questions. They are as follows: 1) Why are you interested in serving on the Lynnwood City Council? 2) What strengths would you bring to the Council? 3) Have you thought through your highest priority issues for the City? 4) Do you have any past or current community involvement in Lynnwood? 5) What is your vision for our community? 6) Are you prepared for a heavy/ongoing time commitment? 7) Are you prepared for the scrutiny of public life by the media? 8) Have you verified that you meet all requirement for elected office? CITY COUNCIL DUTIES: The City Council has seven primary responsibilities. They are as follows: 1) Policy Making & Implementation • Listen to city residents — keep track of their concerns and wishes. • Discuss, develop and adopt city policies governing many aspects of city operations. 2) Personnel Matters • Adopt personnel policies, establish positions, set wages/ benefits • Establish bargaining parameters and approve final labor contract 3) City Budget • Establish goals and priorities which provide the framework for the budget —discuss and adopt final budget — amend budget as needed • Set city tax rates, to the extent permitted by statues • Set utility rates and other fees as required 19100 44TH Ave W I PO Box 5008 1 Lynnwood, WA 98046-5008 1 Phone: 425-670-5010 1 Fax: 425-670-5913 1 www.ci.lynnwood.wa.us L LYNNWOOD WASHINGTON CITY COUNCIL 4) Council Meetings • Adopt council rules of procedure • Prepare to discuss work session agenda items • Make decisions at business meetings following adopted rules — (see additional comments below) 5) Land Use and Planning • Adopt and amend zoning, development regulations, and comprehensive plan after receiving input from staff, planning commission, residents and other. • Act in quasi-judicial capacity to decide land use issues • Amend planning documents as necessary 6) City Expenditures and Contracts • Approve contracts and all city expenditures 7) Relationships with Other Entities • Decide whether city will participate in optional government organizations and provide guidance to mayor or other city representatives • Serve as Council/City representative on local boards and commissions plus intergovernmental bodies where mayor is not a designated member. * *The above enumerated duties of the Council implies the review and oversight of ALL city programs and services. COUNCIL TIME COMMITMENT The City Council meets weekly for either a business meeting or work session. • Regular business meetings meet on the 2nd and &I' Monday evening from 7.00 — 10.00 PM. • Regular work sessions are schedule on the 1st and 3rd Monday plus the 3rd Wednesday from 7:00 — 10:00 PM • If there is a 5th Monday in a month that is also used as a work session • Special business meetings/works sessions are called infrequently Assuming there is no call for a special meeting, regular work sessions and business meeting will require 15 hours a month. • Each Council member is also asked to serve on at least 2 boards, commissions or intergovernmental bodies. Most of those entities meet monthly on either Tuesday or Thursday evening from 6.00 to 9:00 PM. The above committees regularly add an additional 4 hours a month. 2 L LYNNOOD WASHINGTON CITY COUNCIL COUNCIL TIME COMMITMENT (cont.) • Study time for either business meetings or work sessions adds an additional 2 hours per week (depending on how fast you read and comprehend) Study time adds an additional 10 hours per month. • Infrequently, you may be asked to attend special functions such as ribbon cutting ceremonies, group events, etc. Such happenings probably add an additional 2 hours a month (average). IN SUMMARY ... YOU SHOULD PLAN ON 30+ HOURS A MONTH TO BE SAFE. The Council does not meet the last two weeks in August or December. COUNCIL TRAVEL AND EDUCATION Some travel is expected locally, regionally, and/or state wide. Councilmembers may also at their discretion travel and attend training/ educational opportunities. Such activities are reimbursed strictly in accordance with city policy applicable to all employees and city officials, and only up to the budgetary limit set for each councilmember as set for the city council as a whole. COUNCIL PAY Council pay is $1,650 per month. An additional stipend of $200 per month is paid to the Council President for additional responsibilities performed. The City does carry an accidental death policy on each council member as long as s/he are on the Council. An optional health care package is available, if so desired. KEEPING SOME PERSPECTIVE The job of the councilmember is a unique combination of stress and joy. Just remember that there is a tremendous amount of discomfort in making very important public decisions. You won't be able to satisfy all of the people, and you have to know that. Still you must strive to do what's right. Your job is to find the long term public interest of the entire community.