Travis County Commssioners Court
June 10, 2003
The Closed Caption log for this Commissioners Court agenda item is provided by Travis County Internet Services. Since this file is derived from the Closed Captions created during live cablecasts, there are occasional spelling and grammatical errors. This Closed Caption log is not an official record the Commissioners Court Meeting and cannot be relied on for official purposes. For official records please contact the County Clerk at (512) 854-4722.
Item 20
Number 20 is next. And that is to discuss and take appropriate action on whether to reconvene citizens advisory committee on elected officials' salary for fy '04.
>> what you're looking for is whether to reconvene the citizens advisory committee on elect #d officials' salary for fy '04. As you know for the last few years a citizens advisory committee has been established to provide advice and counsel, to stimulate research and offer opinions on what to do with elected officials' salaries. The -- a report has been written and the Commissioners court has taken that report and come to conclusions based on the advise and counsel of that citizens committee. This year, due to the current fiscal challenges, and in consultation with the planning and budget subcommittee, we have delayed the meeting of that advisory committee to provide an opportunity for the court to come to a conclusion as to whether it wishes this year to convene that group. And the appropriate research can be done, but if you wish to convene the group, time has not been lost so that we do not have a scheduling problem. If, on the other hand, you believe that it is wisest to not convene the group in light of econom conditions, then that's a choice that you have before you, but another option is to have the service to be conducted, but not convene the group and not have a report. If you convene the report, the group will do its work and do a responsible job of its work and provide a report to you. That report then will be a report on what they believe elected officials' salaries should be. And so, for example, this year in the budget process, you expect that you will not be providing compensation increases, then you have a choice as to whether to actually stimulate that kind of report for you or not.
>> because I believe that unless our prayers are answered and the economy rebound quickly and dramatically, the court will not grant elected officials increases or employees, i'd say let's let the committee like take this year off. And I guess my thinking is that I know what we did with rank and file employees, but we kind of had in place a three-year program where we would review jobs, etcetera. The other thing is that we have authorized departments to look internally and try to figure out ways to cut positions, generate other additional monies to fund increases, if they can, without depleting their budget. And some have taken advantage of that, some have not been able to do so. For elected officials we don't have that luxury. Each of them has the light rite to file a grievance and go before the elected officials salary grief advance committee, and I think the ones bold enough to do that ought to have the right. We did appoint that committee in January, and we'll just take it from there. My fear, I guess, is when the economy is better and we have a chance to in good faith look at increasing elected officials' salaries, the information may be so old that the committee need to redo it anyway. I just say let's put them on hold, and when it's time for us to consider action under this, that is, increasing elected officials' salaries, we put them back to work. Technically we have some notice because we do this as part of the budget process. It's not like we would have this thought one month and increase salaries the next. Normally what happens during the budget process is it's official.
>> I might add one other fact for the court's consideration, which I forgot to mention. And that is that this committee is a recent invention in the history of Travis County. Traditionally and historically the court has considered elected officials' salaries in general tandem with rank and file and other kind of compensation increases, and has attempted to maintain a general parity in its judgments on what elected salaries should be. And obviously the elected officials can grieve that. But this committee concept was really fostered to try and get a little assistance in what has sometimes been a controversial topic.
>> this court's innate ability to determine fair and reasonable salaries for elected officials, christian?
>> I'm glad you said that. I would never say that on camera.
>> christian, could you explain what you mean by your memo that if the committee does not meet, it says that you would propose to continue with the data gathering effort. Would you please explain what that means?
>>
>> [one moment, please, for change in captioners]
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>> at whatever point that is, there is the extreme of data -- the stream of data point for each of these counties, the committee can then use to look at trend.
>> if per chance this Commissioners court decides there will be no elected officials salary increases and some bold person chooses to take that to a grievance committee, we will at least have current data within our grasp to be able to turn over quickly to a grievance committee, which has a pretty tight deadline in terms of dealing with somebody bringing a grievance and the Commissioners court being able to respond, depending on what their vote is.
>> we would have the raw data, yes. I don't think that we would go so far as to have the committee -- the representative according to the [indiscernible] run his mod kel or anything, because the committee is not doing that right now if you all choose photo reconvene it, but we would have the raw data --
>> it wouldn't be starting from scratch [multiple voices] in case somebody is bold enough to go there.
>> and the information that we are not over age and.
>> correct.
>> then they would have to go back and catch up with -- to me I think it's available to have up to date information, even if you don't use it a particular year. But I think that would help in the long run. And not have to play catch up.
>> have we heard of any Texas counties that may be or that are considering increasing employees compensation?
>> those decisions have not been made yet.
>> [indiscernible] their inability to balance the budget, the current state.
>> I have been in contact with my colleagues and a number of urban counties, they all have their challenges. None of them are talking about the -- the challenges are being able to cope with what they have as opposed to deal with more.
>> that's certainly a question we can ask this Thursday. There's a conference or the county's wrapup luncheon. We can ask around to the other urban counties and kind of get an informal sense of what is doing what. I think christian has nailed it that nobody is going in that direction. I would move that we take the p.b.o. Recommendation that we continue to collect data, but that the formal gathering of the -- of the -- of the committee be deferred for another year.
>> second.
>> judge? Can I ask a question? I know there was legislation passed, I mean especially with regards to judges and their ability to I guess through the court, Commissioners court to give raises. Would there be any reason to look at this reconvene this group, I mean, strictly from the standpoint of what would you do, I mean, if you had the resources to do it? Would that -- I mean, it may be at least sending a message to the judges, I mean, I say -- not to say that any of them expect to, you know, to get -- to get dollars out of it. And I assume that this committee was put together at some point in time to really kind of say, hey, y'all tell us what we need to get versus us telling us what we need to give ourselves. I mean, I think I remember being on that side of the desk at some point in time speaking to the Commissioners court about did you not know what your salary was whenever you ran for office? I mean, that is a very touchy subject but, I mean, if there's any reason to -- to have the committee, I would think that it would be strictly because of that. I mean, given that they certainly know that this legislation got passed and we were supportive of it.
>> I think when it comes to them, the dollars come from the county to do anything there and the judges know that, so that comes back to the Commissioners court to consider along with the budget. So it's not like there's some extra collars out there just for that purpose.
>> oh, no, I certainly understand that.
>> the legislature will pass it in -- and whatever the county wants to do in terms of the budget.
>> just remembering judge dietz when he appeared before this Commissioners court, they wanted the permissive language but I think they had zero expectation [indiscernible] any kind of a salary increase that was not in conjunction with rank and file employees. I think they were not considering that they would be taking it as an exception, even when times are tight.
>> yeah, I -- no, I certainly am not thinking that we would vote to give raises. I mean, my question really was does it send the message that at some point in time we know that this legislation is going to take effect and we are going to have to although at that, but, hey, maybe we have enough information now, I mean, from things that you all have gathered, that it's not like we have to have the committee to do that at some point in time. I mean, when it's time, I suppose [indiscernible]
>> I might submit that the judges' salaries are probably the -- are among the easiest to deal with from the committee standpoint, from an analytic viewpoint. Because if you look at all of the counties, the judges in essence are all paid the same. There are some differences here and there. But when the law passed it changes the way judges' salaries are configured, usually it's a fairly straightforward kind of affair. One follows the law and comes to a conclusion --
>> it's all county money.
>> and we have also pegged our county court at law salaries to one thousand dollars less than what district judge's make. It's my remembrance that harris county is the only county that goes contrary to that and sets that independent of what their district judges have gotten simply because of their frustration with the district judges not getting a pay raise. They were trying to kind of force the issue, but it created a horrible, horrible imbalance within the judiciary.
>> any more discussion?
>> one thing, looking at the challenges that we are going to have during this budget cycle, there is a way to kind of -- kind of putting a big foot into a small shoe meaning that definitely my mind it's going to be a shrinking paycheck looking at the salary, compensation benefits, a lot of the stuff that's coming up. Looking at what the government is doing, example weed this that the state is thinking about laying off folks. Before there was a big squabble just about benefits, that the folks would be receiving. Now people [indiscernible] because of fear of actually being laid off right here in the Travis County state offices. So, yes, we do have some serious challenges. I just hope that what we are doing here, all of the elected officials understand that it is going to be some shrinking paycheck times. At least a paycheck will be coming in for a lot of folks whereby we will have to accept the downturn. If we don't take care of it on this end, we will have to work with it on the other end on the social service part. I think it's very important that everyone look at this and -- and hold on to where we are and -- and [indiscernible] at this point. I'm definitely supporting the motion.
>> any more discussion? All in favor? It passes by unanimous vote.
Last Modified: Tuesday, July 10, 2003 7:52 PM