Travis County Commissioners Court
July 8, 2008
Item 17
17. Consider and take appropriate action on the proposed draft advertisement and schedule for advertising the public hearing to set elected officials' salaries for fiscal year 2009 and the calendar for actions for the remainder of the salary setting process.
>> good afternoon.
>> good afternoon.
>> glenda powell from the planning and budget office. This agenda item has been before you a couple of times. You have a revised calendar if your packet for the salary setting process. I will note that we do need a vote today on the ad that we should run. The ad will run on July 18th in the Austin chronicle and then we will be submitting items to post a public hearing on July 29th and also action to set the salaries that day so that you can start your -- the grievance process if anyone chooses to grieve in order to make sure that you can adopt an order setting elected officials salaries by August 19th in preparation to adopt your budget on September the 23rd. So -- so we have prepared three ads, there's -- with the -- with the attendant footnotes attached to them. There is one advertisement at three and a half percent, one at 3%, one at 3.5%, one at 4% increase for elected officials that are not on the judicial pay scale. Those ads are also attached to your backup. We are happy to address any questions.
>> if you go down, if you put the ad at 3, but if you have to go down, is that okay? Or do you have to -- to comply with whatever is in an ad?
>> you are setting the high water mark with the advertisement. You can reduce that. You have historically the Commissioners court has not done that.
>> by when does one have to reduce it? What's the final date by which you can reduce it and still comply with the grievance time line?
>> that would occur when you actually set the salaries, but --
>> the 29th of July.
>> prior to the actual official's right to grieve.
>> so will this come back to us?
>> yes, you will have a public hearing on the 29th, you will have a posted agenda item on actually set the salary and then an official letter is released from the judge's office notifying all of you elected officials and it begins the clock on the grievance process after that.
>> bylaw we can reduce the amount advertised but we cannot increase it, right?
>> right.
>> the way our advertisement is written, that's correct. Because we say not more than.
>> that's not the law, that's the ad.
>> well --
>> it's the law.
>> the law says that you have to advertise to let the public know what you are going to be providing the elected officials as salary. So if you were to advertise a lesser amount, you could not go up. But because you have indicated in the ad that -- that this is the maximum that they would receive, it gives you the option of not giving exactly the amount in the ad and going below that amount. But you do not have the option to go above that amount legally.
>> okay. So we have to -- we're supposed to choose the ads. That -- that sets forth -- well, if we can go down but not up, it really makes sense to say three and a half. We did get one judge to inquire by various benefits and that judge was -- was conferencing with the county attorney's office and others. Did we get that issue resolved? Is that still outstanding or what?
>> the judges have chosen to approach that issue in a different way. And -- and they have no -- they have no issues with this ad going forward exactly as it is presented.
>> okay. Well, doing it at 3 effectively is locking you in, I mean, with all of the other employees at 3%.
>> if we keep to our policy.
>> right. But the last few years we have said whatever cost of living increase we give rank and file we would just give elected officials, too. One year we slipped in, I forgot --
>> half a percent --
>> we set it earlier than addressing the rank and file but then when we got to them we had to reduce it a little bit. I would rather set it at 3.5 and go down if we need t.o. The understanding would be if we end up at 3 withran with k and file we would reduce the elected officials accordingly.
>> would we have that option after July 29th, though?
>> you need to set the salaries on the 29th so the process for the filing grievances can begin because there's a notification process that they have to receive, then they have a 10 day window in order to file a grievance or excuse me five day window to notify the court and then there is a 10 day deadline for hearing the grievance that has to be heard. All of this has to coincide with the adoption of the budget, so we need to kind of stay within those guidelines in order to maintain the final budget
>> [indiscernible] on the 23rd of September.
>> so after July 29th if we determine the rank and file cola will be at 3%, we will not have the option of reducing, if we were to set the salary at 3.5% for elected on July 29th, we would not have the option of going below that 3.5 after that if we determined that the rank and file cola is at 3?
>> that's correct.
>> I think what it forces us to do is land on it then on the cola. I think that if we -- hopefully by that time we will have a much clearer picture of the affordability of 3.5 versus 3. Most of the located officials that I know, if we do that and send a letter saying hey we really can't afford 3.5% and rank and file get 3.5 and therefore getting it to elected officials same as we have tried do in previous years, most of them will understand that. But I do understand, I mean, we kind of have a self-imposed and legally imposed drop dead date of July 29th.
>> right.
>> but you map to drop the preliminary -- to draw up the preliminary budget when?
>> 28th. No later than the 28th.
>> in terms of affordability as of, you know, revenue projections, expenditure projection, et cetera, we'll have a lot of specific information by then.
>> yes. We'll have much better idea of where the budget is going to fall on the 21st, when we receive the third revenue estimate and then we are still working through some of the expenditure budget information that we have, still trying to finalize some numbers, but we're getting closer each day. But we will be able to really on the 21st we will be able to land on what we will do, where we're at.
>> to be honest seems to me that there are numerous other issues that would turn on the availability of funds. And I'm visualizing a long list that we really as soon as possible sort of need to take a closer look at because others may be optimistically relying on our historic willingness to assist because revenue has been available, whereas this year I know we will not be in such a good position. So rather than wait until markup or later in the budget process, it would seem to me that -- that we take a real good look at the information that we have, after that next revenue projection, certainly by the time we get to preliminary budget, and then post an item where we work it through. By that I mean a lot of requests from outside entities will do just a fantastic job for us. And in the past we've had, you know, funds available from other sources than the -- than the general fund. Seems to me that this career we really made need to -- to use some of that money to -- to get with more basic intra county programs and services.
>> uh-huh, right.
>> unless the revenue picture changes dramatically.
>> sure.
>> that's my long way of saying that I know we sort of send the message we are going to try to do 3.5 as we have been for rank and file. But we ought to be realistic on
>> [indiscernible] what we can afford to do.
>> I will second your motion.
>> do we know what the other entities in town, the state, the city, do we know what's going on with compensation in those -- with those organizations?
>> as far as elected officials or rank and file?
>> rank and file. The market survey that was completed by h.r. The last few weeks I believe is going to be brought before -- up for further discussion. Within the next couple of weeks. I do not know what the other elected officials are -- salaries for other elected officials are looking at at this time.
>> like the city of Austin rank and file, do we know what the city is considering? For their rank and file? Do we know what state employees are looking at?
>> the paper quoted Williamson county elected officials at 5%, but it's early in the budget process, like two or three weeks ago.
>> they can also lower that.
>> we do have a market salary survey for elects at this points I think a couple of years old, shows all of the elected officials groupings except for the Commissioners court were above market.
>> that was the last committee.
>> uh-huh.
>> we also have a tac report compiled for 2008 which reflects similar information.
>>
>> [inaudible - no mic]
>> compensation, to answer your question, h.r. Has been in contact with a number of entities like city of Austin, lcra, state of Texas and is in the process of compiling that data. As well as other counties and cities around the state. Many of them have not yet set their budget because of affordability and other issues similar to your own. But we do have some numbers indicating two to four percent. Just the preliminary numbers that are coming in.
>> can we get like a written summary on the 26th or 27th? We would like to have as much information as possible, be as informed as possible before we take action on the 29th.
>> be happy to.
>> uh-huh. One other thing also is that before we send the ad to the paper, do we have your discretion to make sure -- because I don't see the word maximum salary in the heading anymore. As it used to. That may be something that I've inadvertently dropped out. Can we have one more review with the county attorney's office to make sure all of the disclosures are in place to allow you to adopt --
>> makes sense to me. Any objections to that.
>> none.
>> motion would be three and a half, if we need to go down we do.
>> uh-huh. Try to be as realistic as possible as soon as possible. Any more discussion? That would be the 3.5% ad?
>> yes.
>> with that one change. Any others that are appropriate and legal? Any problem with that? All in favor?
>> just, let me say something. I will support this with the caveat that we -- as you just stated, that we have the ability to go backwards. Not greater than. But less than what was being recommended here. I guess my question is when -- and may have gotten past me. But when will we have the overview of all of the entities that Commissioner Daugherty have asked and others have asked, back to the -- especially the city of Austin who is really right here with us. As far as their input is concerned. When will we have that, especially with the rank and file. I am really kind of interested this that.
>> what we will do with you, we will work with h.r., pull taking the tac report belinda referenced as far as elected officials salaries, we will work with h.r. To compile a list of where we are in the current time as far as the rank and file employees and try to have that back to you by the 25th or 26th, somewhere in there, of July. So that you will have a feel for -- for what other agencies are doing prior to the 29th.
>> because I know the city of Austin has kind of been wrestling a little bit with their concerns, I haven't heard anything where they are leaning, their final deal, where they are leaning as far as rank and file for their employees.
>> like with most agencies they are dealing with the same issue that's we are, limited resources, trying to land on a number that's reasonable and --
>> as long as the public can understand that we can go less than, not greater than, but less than this 3.5% advertisement as being stated. Okay. Thank you.
>> any more discussion? All in favor? Show Commissioners goals, Davis, eckhardt, yours truly voting in favor. Voting against Commissioner Daugherty. Thank you all very much.
>> thank you.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, July 8, 2008 1:51 PM