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Home My WebLink About2017 EOCC MinutesMINUTES Elected Officers Compensation Commission Wednesday, February 1, 2017 @ 11:30 a.m. City Hall, City Council Conference Room, 10'h Floor CALL TO ORDER The meeting called to order at 11:32 a.m. by Recording Secretary Boak ROLL CALL Cassie Alley, Member Catherine Groll, Member -excused Samantha Harkins, Member- excused Brian Huggler, Member Liisa Speaker, Member Kurt Berryman, Member OTHERS PRESENT Sherrie Boak, Council Staff Jim Smiertka, City Attorney EXCUSED ABSENCE MEMBERS GROLL AND HARKINS WERE EXCUSED WITH THEIR REQUEST ABSENCE. ELECTION OF OFFICERS Ms. Boak called for nominations for Committee Chairperson. MOTION BY MEMBER HUGGLER TO NOMINATE MEMBER SPEAKER AS CHAIRPERSON. MEMBER SPEAKER ACCEPTED THE NOMINATION. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. Ms. Boak called for nominations for Committee Vice Chairperson. MOTION BY MR. BERRYMAN TO NOMINATE MEMBER ALLEY AS VICE CHAIRPERSON. MEMBER ALLEY ACCEPTED THE NOMINATION. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION BY MEMBER BERRYMAN TO APPROVE THE AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. COMMUNICATIONS No Communications BUSINESS Determininq EOCC 2017 Meetina Schedule The members reviewed the calendar acknowledging they needed to meet and finish their charge within 45 days. The group determined they would meet at 1:30 p.m. on February 8`h, February 22nd and March 81h. At the February 22"d meeting the members determined that the elected officials would be invited for an opportunity to speak to the Board. Reports. Presentations. Commission Questions and Discussions Ms. Boak distributed research documents from the session in 2015 where the Committee reviewed and determined benefits and compensation for the City elected officials. This included municipality comparisons on fringe benefits and salaries. In reviewing comparisons the Committee determined additional information for the next meeting. This included updates including inquiring again with Royal Oak since they did not respond in 2015, add the City of Lansing to the spreadsheet for a better comparison, ask if the other municipalities could provide their fringe benefit packages, if other Mayors and Clerks receive cars, if in other States the Clerks are elected, and if the comparisons are strong Mayor or Council. Old Business Member Huggler acknowledged that after the last determination he was contacted by multiple media sources. New Business Mr. Smiertka outlined the procedures for the Committee on the Open Meetings Act and the steps they should follow, including all deliberations have to be done in an open meeting and the meeting was be posted. There cannot be any deliberations over texts or emails and no discussions outside the meetings, in addition to no tally sheets. In regards to calling in if they are not able to attend the meeting, Mr. Smiertka stated they could as long as there is a quorum in one main location, and the member calling in would have to be in a location where the public can be present. Mr. Smiertka stated he would provide the legal opinion that was done on this topic for the next meeting as a Communication. Commission Member Comments No comments ITEMS UNDER SUSPENSION OF THE RULES No discussion OTHER No discussion PUBLIC COMMENT No comments ADJOURN MOTION BY MEMBER HUGGLER TO ADJOURN AT 12:03 P.M. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. Adjourned at 12:03 p.m. Respectively submitted by: Sherrie Boak, City Council Office Manager Approved by Committee on February 8, 2017 ,+P ,-vv�-_w s ,fm e-,*v G4e_G4 MINUTES Elected Officers Compensation Commission Wednesday, February 22, 2017 @ 1:30 p.m. City Hall, City Council Conference Room, 10th Floor CALL TO ORDER The meeting called to order at 1:32 p.m. ROLL CALL Cassie Alley, Member Catherine Groll, Member -excused Samantha Harkins, Member Brian Huggler, Member Liisa Speaker, Member Kurt Berryman, Member- arrived at 1:33 p.m. OTHERS PRESENT Sherrie Boak, Council Staff Jim Smiertka, City .Attorney- arrived at 1:36 p.m. Elizabeth O'Leary, HR Council Member Washington MINUTES MOTION BY HUGGLER, SECOND BY HARKINS TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM FEBRUARY 8, 2017. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION BY MEMBER HARKINS, SECOND BY HUGGLER TO APPROVE THE AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. COMMUNICATIONS No communications. BUSINESS REPORTS, Presentations. Commission Questions and Discussion Council Member Washington introduced herself, outlined her role as a Council Member. Member Speaker asked her about her job and Council Member Washington outlined her role at the State of Michigan Department of Corrections. Member Speaker then detailed what this Commission does and how they make their determinations, and asked if Council Member Washington had any recommendations. Council Member Washington spoke to the cost of living, amount of time spent by Council Members and if an increase was determined it should be in increments, not the large percentage that was done in 2015. Lastly she suggested no consideration for a raise in 2017, and thanked them for their efforts. Council Member Brown Clarke was scheduled to attend but had a scheduling conflict, Council Member Wood was scheduled to attend but was out ill, and City Clerk Swope was scheduled to attend also but had another meeting to attend. Old Business Human Resource Research Update on Compensation/Frinae Ms. O'Leary distributed an updated list of municipality comparisons. Listed were Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Flint, Grand Rapids, Lorain Ohio, Madison Wisconsin, Rochester Hills, Rochester who did not reply, Royal Oak and Warren. Lansing was also included for single document comparison. In all instances it was confirmed no other municipality had provided a vehicle to the City Clerk. Ms. O'Leary noted that there were no communities added to the original list from 2015. The second document distributed and reviewed was the list of salary adjustments for the T580, T214, Police Non -Sup, Police Sup, Fire, UAW, Executive Management, Mayoral and Non -Bargaining. It was noted that there were no amounts for Fire for 2016-2018 because they are still in negotiations. For the Police Non -Sup it was notated that there was "wage reopener" which Ms. O'Leary stated allows them to reopen the contract for salary negotiations. The Commission reviewed the documents. New Business Council Staff presented the Commission with the draft recommendation letter based on their 2015 recommendation. Commission Member Comments Member Alley asked what was presented by the Finance Director at the last meeting. Ms. Harkins summarized it was cautious. Council Staff was asked if there had been any recent furloughs. Ms. Boak stated nothing since 2013. The Commission asked Mr. Smiertka if he was aware of any bankruptcy concerns by the Mayor. Mr. Smiertka confirmed it comes into play with the legacy costs that every municipality is dealing with, and is used in a generic term. Ms. Harkins pointed out that postretirement health care is not constitutional protected, but the pension is. Mr. Smiertka stated he could reach out to Ms. Bennett to come up to the meeting. The Commission continued its review of the HR documents and held discussions on the considerations that were on the table. Member Huggler suggested that it appeared no other communities had vehicles for the Clerk, and the City of Lansing Clerk had noted there is a vehicle he can use, then the topic of granting a vehicle for the City of Lansing Clerk is off the table. There was an agreed consensus the City Clerk would not get a vehicle in this determination. Ms. Harkins referred to the documents, noting that the Commission in 2015 made sure the City of Lansing met other communities, but now it appears the other City employees are getting incremental increases, so should Council. She then suggested 2% for all elected officials. Member Speaker considered nothing in 2017 but in year two. Member Berryman gave his opinion for no increases at all. Member Alley proposed considering bringing them where they should be, instead of nothing then having to do large increases again in 2 years. She proposed 2% across the board. Member Huggler agreed with the discussion, however proposed the consideration of 1.5% cost of living increases. Member Berryman asked for the cost of living for the 2015 and 2016 that the City is using for their employees. Mr. Smiertka updated the Commission on an earlier question on the financial outcome of the City, via a text from Ms. Bennett from another meeting. The statement was that there is a small surplus for this fiscal year, but there is pending information at the State level on the income tax, and any road funding that might be impacted in the upcoming State budget. Ms. Boak was asked to contact HR and Finance for the 2015-2017 cost of living numbers. The group briefly searched the US Department of Labor on their numbers which appeared to be .3 in 2016 and 0 in 2015. The staff was again asked to have the numbers available at the next meeting. The Commission moved on to discussions on Increases. The proposals discussed were: • 2% - Clerk- $1,741 increase; Mayor - $2,568 increase; President - $532 increase; Vice President - $520 increase; Council - $484 increase. • 1.5% - Clerk- $1,305 increase; Mayor - $1,936 increase; President - $399 increase; Vice President - $377 increase; Council - $363 increase. • 1 % - Clerk - $870 increase; Mayor - $1,284 increase; President - $266 increase; Vice President - $251 increase; Council - $242 increase. The discussion continued on no increases, no increases for Council, and just 1% for Clerk and Mayor Mr. Smiertka asked Council Staff if there had been two recommendations in the past, and Ms. Boak stated there had not. Member Alley asked Ms. Boak to find out what the increase is for the Police Non -Sups since they recently received 3%. After further discussions the consensus moved to no increase for Council based on the fact they currently are equal to other municipalities. The group continued their discussions on increases for the City Clerk and Mayor ranging from 1 % year one and 1 % year two, up to 2% year one and 2% year two. Ms. Speaker confirmed she would work on the first draft of the recommendation letter, and Ms. Boak stated she would forward the document in word format to Ms. Speaker. Ms. Speaker asked what would happen if they could not have a quorum on agreement with the recommendations. Mr. Smiertka stated they would need to keep deliberating. Member Berryman spoke in support of only increases for the Clerk. l iuu�jll 1 al it; i uoFeGtG the WE)FI� }hp NA � nr�—�=—Qw hi it tha�i ehni ilrl rnncirin�n �� G.I L��-��OC ' Fbeeauae-tl icy b, uuyl (, I (i i, uN 1.6 0;111;lai i i iui iiuiNaliiic� ia� i c`�ri�c��hrr,-u„+(3Rfi-(�9-FT6� �El rt�isca t at-ft un'y 1di•dff6TT tl. Mr. Smiertka recapped for the Commission that they have to make their decision in 45 days, and the Council will have 30 days to reject it. If they do no reject, it will occur. The Commission will need 4 of 6 for a majority of the members appointed and serving. Council Staff was asked to pull the Department Salary information from March, 2015 and forward onto Ms. Bennett for an update. Ms. Boak assured the Commission that as she receives the requested information from Finance and HR she will forward to them in preparation for the next meeting. ITEMS UNDER SUSPENSION OF THE RULES No items. OTHER Not topics. PUBLIC COMMENT No comments ADJOURN MOTION BY MEMBER HARKINS TO ADJOURN AT 2:43 P.M. Adjourned at 2:43 p.m. Respectively submitted by: Sherrie Boak, City Council Office Manager Approved by Committee on .f Wm6y MM GU �e_j Yo4oulk" 4C J �c2cliGC.?i0vi.5v 4& mamoy a V\4 �[&V- reGeUe a °% o ;wcnc aW • o It vuc 4 kWO 4A 1as� -fig e ��n�td hof lat a 5 �vS CG4 bV1 -° r �' n �� +reAF; ec F-5 � fV'/Ck+ � ��-2 o,,6Jtd 9,9- w()VVJ 1 �41.�- -t o 5<e -1- 4¢ r �"W-r. 1(cR,lp qa v� G Uwion S, -(�.� �a��t�r- c��wv iNv� arcs i s Nn n�wl wPa �t d f� - v n !7 r, �lzi f>� f e C.� 1v ws %,o r MINUTES Elected Officers Compensation Commission Wednesday, March 8, 2017 @ 1:30 p.m. City Hall, City Council Conference Room, 10th Floor CALL TO ORDER The meeting called to order at 1:31 p.m. ROLL CALL Cassie Alley, Member -excused Samantha Harkins, Member Brian Huggler, Member Liisa Speaker, Member Kurt Berryman, Member OTHERS PRESENT Sherrie Boak, Council Staff Jim Smiertka, City Attorney Eric Lacy MINUTES Ms. Boak read Member Alley's comments on the minutes into the record for correction. Ms. Alley suggested throughout the discussions that the Mayor and Clerk receive a 2% increase. Her point on page 3, 7`h paragraph, was that the Commission's increase last time should not be used as justification for zero increases going forward. She would like to see their increases keep pace with unions. The dollar -cost for these two increases is minimal compared to the hundreds of union staff receiving 2-3% increases. MOTION BY MEMBER HUGGLER, SECONDED BY MEMBER HARKINS TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS AMENDED FROM FEBRUARY 8, 2017. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION BY MEMBER HARKINS, SECONDED BY MEMBER HUGGLER TO APPROVE THE AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED 4-0. COMMUNICATIONS Ms. Boak distributed the email response from the Mayor's office for attendance, the department director salary comparison from 2015 vs. 2017, the information from the Mayor's office on the cost of living factor, and the details on the question regarding the breakdown on the recent Police SUP increase comparison. The Commission reviewed the information. BUSINESS REPORTS, Presentations, Commission Questions and Discussion Member Haggler read a text that all members received from Andy Schor which summarized stated he would be sending a statement on the pay raises, wanting positions to be competitive with others. The statement was received by the Council staff by the end of the meeting and is attached as part of these minutes. Old Business No old business to address. New Business No new business to address. Commission Member Comments Chairperson Speaker recapped that at the last meeting the Commission had agreed that Council would not receive any increases, and the Clerk would not receive a vehicle. The discussion continued on increases for the Clerk and Mayor. The Commission acknowledged that Member Alley had stated in her earlier email on the minutes she wishes for 2%, and Member Harkins agreed at this time. The Commission briefly discussed if there should be an increase each of the two years or one increase. Member Hugg►er supported a 1 % increase for Mayor and Clerk for each of the two years. His opinion was that it would keep it in line with the other municipality comparisons provided by HR. Chairperson Speaker concurred, and Member Berryman again stated his opinion there should be no increases for any elected official. The Commission reviewed the cost of living numbers provided by the Finance and Administration which represented 1.8% in 2015 and 2.2% in 2016. Member Berryman stated then he could take that into consideration and could concur on the 1 %/1 % for the Clerk and Mayor. Chairperson Speaker calculated the 1 % increases for Mayor and Clerk positions and provided the following to the Commission to consider: CLERK — Current-$87,066.00; 1 % increase 7/1/2017- $87,936.00; 1 % increase 7/1/2018 - $88,815.00 MAYOR — Current $128,400.00; 1% increase 7/1/2017- $129,684.00; 1% increase 7/1/2018- 130,980.00 The Commission reviewed the fringe benefits. MOTION BY MEMBER HUGGLER TO MAKE THE RECOMMENDATOIN OF NO PAY RAISE FOR 2 YEARS FOR COUNCIL, FOR THE MAYOR A 1 % INCREASE EFFECTIVE 7/1/2017 AND A 1 % INCREASE EFFECTIVE 7/1/2018, AND FOR THE CLERK A 1 % INCREASE EFFECTIVE 7/1/2017 AND A 1% INCREASE EFFECTIVE 7/1/2018. THE SUMMARY OF FRINGE BENEFITS REMAINS UNCHANGED FROM 2015 FOR ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS. ROLL CALL VOTE, MOTION CARRIED BY 4-0. ITEMS UNDER SUSPENSION OF THE RULES No items. OTHER The next and final meeting will be Friday, March 17, 2017 @ 12:45 p.m. to finalize the recommendation letter and sign it. PUBLIC COMMENT No comments ADJOURN MOTION BY MEMBER HARKINS TO ADJOURN AT 2:01 P.M. Adjourned at 2:01 p.m. Respectively submitted by: Sherrie Boak, City Council Office Manager Approved by Committee on March 17, 2017 Statement by Andy Schor received after the meeting adjourned. From: Andy Schor <andv.schor(a)gmail.com> Date: March 8, 2017 at 11:56:30 AM EST To: Me <andv.schor(d),amail.com> Subject: Schor Statement on Pay Raise Vote for Lansing Elected Officials Statement by Andy Schor on consideration of compensation for City of Lansing Mayor: "The Lansing Elected Officers Compensation Commission is now looking at whether to increase pay for the Mayor, Clerk, and City Council. Regardless of the outcome of the 2017 election, there is one thing we know - we will have a new Mayor in Lansing next year. While I agree that the position should be competitive in salary with other similar cities throughout the state, I do not believe that an increase is warranted for someone who has not yet served in this capacity. Those who run for office deserve to know the salary and benefits that they will receive in this full time job and I, as a candidate for Mayor, am comfortable with the current compensation that the this office receives." Andy Schor Candidate for Lansing Mayor State Representative, 68th District Vice Chair, Commerce and Trade Committee Vice Chair, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules Member, Health Policy Committee