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2019-08-07 Salary Commission MinutesSALARY COMMISSION Meeting Minutes SPECIALLY CALLED MEETING Wednesday, August 7, 2019 7:00 pm Police Department Training Room 250 5t" Ave. N., Edmonds, WA 98020 Present: Jay Grant, Chair Ava Dubno, Vice -Chair Don Hall, Commissioner Jeff Hodson, Commissioner Carl Zapora Commissioner Marilynne Beard, Consultant, MMB Consulting (by conference phone) Excused: 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. Noting none, 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 24, 2019 meeting. Commissioner Hall moved to approve the minutes. Motion was approved with Commissioner Zapora and Hodson abstaining. PUBLIC COMMENTS Chair Grant noted that there were no members of public present to provide comment. DISCUSSION ITEMS Chair Update Chair Grant reported to the Commissioners that Council President Fraley- Monillas, through Emily Wagener of Human Resources, wanted a clarification of the Commission's request for a list of committees currently assigned to Councilmembers. After clarification from Chair Grant, Emily Wagener got back to ELW 7/2/2019 the Council President. Ms. Beard noted that the Council President had also called her regarding clarification. The Council does maintain records about attendance at committee meetings and she will forward the 2019 information to the Commission for their information. Review and Update of Additional Data Received since Last Meeting Updated Cost of Living Adjustments — Staff provided requested information in the Commission's August 7 packet. The Commission will discuss the new information at the August 14 meeting once they have had a chance to review the materials. The Commission had questions about the salary schedules provided and step system which Chair Grant and Ms. Beard addressed. Commission Topics of Interest or Concerns Council Survey Questions — Draft Council survey questions had been forwarded to the Salary Commission following their last meeting. The Commission requested edits to the draft survey including: o Addition of Mayor's salary and benefits in background section o Clarification that Council attends committee meetings in addition to their regular Council meetings o Addition of a question inquiring as to any other factors the Commission should consider when setting elected officials' compensation o Addition of question asking for any other comments o Minor wording changes and correction of typographical errors o Commissioner Hodson offered edit the survey background section for succinctness. He will make edits and forward to Chair Grant and Ms. Beard prior to the survey publication date. Commissioner Hall moved approval of the Council survey as amended. Commissioner Hodson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Based on the Commission's discussion, Ms. Beard will update the draft survey questions and forward the document to staff for development of the survey instrument • Community Survey Questions — Draft Community survey questions had been forwarded to the Salary Commission following their last meeting. The Commission requested edits to the draft survey including: o Include all amendments made to Council survey (noted above) o Include "volunteer" in the description of the Salary Commission members o Add notice of August 21 public hearing at end of survey. Commissioner Hodson moved approval of the community survey as amended. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Dubno. The motion was passed unanimously. • Survey Distribution — A distribution list had been forwarded to the Commission in advance of the August 7 meeting. The Commission added My Edmonds News and the Herald to the list. The Commission established a timeline for release of the surveys and completion: o Publicize and release survey August 12 o Request that the Beacon include an article and link to the survey in their print version scheduled for release on August 15 o Establish end of business August 19 as due date for survey responses o A draft media release will be forwarded to the Commission members by August 8. The Commission asked that hard copies of the survey be available at City Hall for individuals that prefer that method of completing surveys. • Topics for August 14 Commission meeting will include discussion of elected officials' compensation including a possible cost of living adjustment. Future Commission Meeting Schedule • 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 The Commission inquired when their report will be presented to the City Council and asked that staff send them a calendar invite for the meeting. 101t9:I4 V There were no other items for discussion. Chair Grant adjourned the meeting at 8:25 p.m. ATTACHMENTS Draft Survey Questions and Distribution provided by Ms. Beard. DRAFT COMMUNITY SURVEY QUESTIONS The Edmonds Salary Commission is conducting its review of elected officials' compensation for 2020 and 2021 and is seeking input from the public. Please take a few minutes to complete a short survey about the Edmond's City Council compensation. Salary Commission Background The City of Edmonds Salary Commission is composed of five volunteer community representatives that have the responsibility of determining the annual salary and benefits for the City Council and Mayor. The Mayor is a full-time employee and receives a salary of $10,495 per month. Additionally, the Mayor receives health care benefits consistent with other City employees. The City Council members are part- time employees. In addition to their regular weekly Council meetings, they also attend local and regional committee meetings and attend other public events. In 2017, the Commission considered data from comparable cities and adjusted Council salaries to be on par with the average of those cities. The Edmonds City Council members are paid $1,250 per month and receive health care benefits or they can choose a cash equivalent of $728 per month (based the cost of health care benefits). This year, the Commission is exploring the possibility of tying Council compensation to some measure of accountability and is considering factors such as consistent attendance at local and regional meetings as one way to measure accountability for the Council's commitment to represent the interests of the Edmonds community. The Commission may consider other factors, however, whatever that factor may be, it must be measurable and objective. 1. Do you agree or disagree with linking Council compensation to some measure of accountability such as consistent meeting attendance? a. Agree b. Disagree c. No Opinion 2. If you agree that an accountability measure should be factored into the Salary Commission's criteria for setting Council compensation, what measures other than meeting attendance would you suggest? 3. The Council President has additional responsibilities such as working with the Mayor and staff to set the meeting agendas and chairing the weekly Council meetings. Currently, the Council President receives $200 per month over the Council's base pay. Would you agree that this amount is commensurate with their added responsibilities? a. Agree b. Disagree c. If you disagree, please indicate how much the Council President should be paid for his/her duties? 4. What other factors should the Commission consider when setting elected officials' compensation? 5. Do you have any other thoughts? The Commission wishes to thank you for taking the time to offer your insights on this issue. The Commission will be holding a Public Hearing on Wednesday, August 21 at 7:00 PM and encourages community members to offer comments. DRAFT CITY COUNCIL SURVEY To: Edmonds City Council From: Edmonds Salary Commission The Edmonds Salary Commission is conducting its review of elected officials' compensation for 2020 and 2021 and is seeking input from the public and the City Council about information the Commission should take into consideration when establishing wage and benefit levels. In 2017, the Commission considered data from comparable cities and adjusted Council salaries to be on par with the average of those cities. This year, the Commission is considering other factors, such as consistent attendance at local and regional meetings, in addition to regular Council meetings, as one way to measure accountability for their commitment to represent the interests of the Edmonds community. One nearby city provides compensation above the base wage for the number of meetings attended by Councilmembers and has a City Council job description and list of responsibilities that includes meeting attendance. (Edmonds Salary Commission Minutes of July 17, 2019)IIMB1] The Commission understands that elected officials are ultimately held accountable by the voters. The Commission is interested in possibly tying compensation to some measure of accountability. Whatever that measure may be, it must be measurable and objective. 1. Do you agree or disagree with linking compensation to some measure of accountability such as consistent meeting attendance? a. Agree b. Disagree c. No Opinion 2. If you agree that an accountability measure should be factored into the Salary Commission's criteria for setting Council compensation, what measures other than meeting attendance would you suggest? 3. The Commission recognizes that the Council President has additional responsibilities regarding the City Council meetings and coordination with City officials. Currently, the Council President receives $200 per month over the Council's base pay. Would you agree that this amount is commensurate with their added responsibilities? a. Agree b. Disagree c. If you disagree, please indicate how much the Council President should be paid for his/her duties? 4. What other factors should the commission consider when setting salaries for elected officials? 5. Do you have any other thoughts? 2019 SALARY COMMISSION COMMUNITY SURVEY DISTRIBUTION • City Boards and Commissions • Chamber of Commerce • Edmonds Downtown Merchants Association • Service Clubs o Rotary (2) o Kiwanis o Lions • City of Edmonds Facebook and Website • Edmonds Next Door • Edmond's Moms Facebook • My Edmonds Neighbors Facebook • Business Improvement District members • Media Release to media distribution list including Beacon, and My Edmonds New and the Herald