Compensation Council approves reforms, authorizes staff to finalize report

The Compensation Council voted to include a package of statutory reform recommendations in the draft compensation report and authorized staff and council leadership to finalize and submit the report to the Legislature.

Chair opened the meeting saying the council's goal was to complete its work and finalize the draft report and recommendations. Nick, a staff presenter, reviewed edits and flagged substantive updates to the attorney general and judicial branch sections and said the council would correct an earlier misstatement about salary recommendations: "the actual recommendation was for a 10% increase in the first year," he said, and staff would update language so the record matched the council's debate.

The council then discussed two proposed statutory reforms presented by David: clarifying or removing a statutory prohibition on ex parte communications that members said had caused confusion, and changing the timing of the council's work to include an off year so the Legislature would have time to consider judicial-salary recommendations. Thomas urged clearer plain-language statutory text or elimination of the provision if it could not be clearly stated for the public: "the intent of ex parte is about the matter and not to have communications just on a one-on-one basis," he said, arguing the current revisor's language is confusing.

After discussion the council moved to include the recommended reforms in the report. The motion passed by roll call, 17 yes and 5 absent. The Chair subsequently moved to authorize staff to finalize the report based on the council's actions and prior meetings and to give the chair and vice chair the authority to approve and submit the final report; that motion also passed by roll call (17 yes). Council members approved a housekeeping motion authorizing staff to prepare the meeting minutes and allowing the chair and vice chair to approve them (17 yes).

Members emphasized the reason for the timing change: the council's expanded workload and a compressed schedule had limited members' ability to gather agency pay data. Several members noted that, under current practice, the council is statutorily disbanded April 1, which complicates implementing reforms that would change the timetable.

The council instructed staff to incorporate member edits and circulate a revised draft; Nick said he would distribute the next draft by tomorrow morning and asked members to send any final feedback by the end of the day.

The meeting closed with the chair thanking members and staff for their work.