Meeting Minutes 10/05/2010

State Officers Compensation Commission Meeting
October 5, 2010, 1:00 p.m.
Anchorage Legislative Information Office
716 W. 4th Avenue, Suite 220
Anchorage, Alaska
Meeting Minutes

Members:
Rick Halford, Chairperson
Thomas McGrath
Gordon Harrison

Absent:  Mike Miller

Others present:
Nicki Neal, Department of Administration
Chris Christenson, Alaska Court System

1. CALL TO ORDER

Chairperson Halford called the meeting to order at 1:01 p.m. on October 5, 2010.

2. ROLL CALL

Chairperson Halford announced that he, Commission Members McGrath and Harrison, Director Nicki Neal, and Deputy Administrative Director Chris Christenson were all in attendance.

3. ELECTION OF CHAIR

MOTION:  Appoint Rick Halford as chair of the Commission.
APPROVED:  Moved and approved unanimously.

4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

MOTION:  Approve meeting agenda.
APPROVED:  Moved and approved unanimously.

5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

MOTION:  Approve the minutes from the January 10, 2009 meeting.
APPROVED:   Moved and approved unanimously.

6. OVERVIEW OF AVAILABLE MATERIAL/INFORMATION

Director Nicki Neal walked commission members through the available reports and data in the binders that were provided. 

Member Harrison requested a report of state employees who are paid in excess of $100,000.

7. SALARIES OF JUSTICES/JUDGES

Alaska Court System Deputy Administrative Director Chris Christenson provided the history of salaries of justices and judges since statehood.

8. PREPARATION OF PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

DISCUSSION:  Members discussed if recommendations for salary increases were appropriate at this time.  Members determined the salaries of legislators and principal executive department heads would not be addressed this year as increases were granted as a result of this Commission’s 2009 recommendations.  Further discussion occurred regarding the need to address the salary of the governor and the lieutenant governor and resulted in the following motion:

Increase the salary of the governor’s salary to $175,000 and the lieutenant governor to $135,000 annually.

AMENDED MOTION:  Increase the governor’s salary to $175,000, the lieutenant governor to $135,000, and adjust those and the salary of principal executive department heads by a predetermined cost of living trigger.

APPROVED:  Amended motion was moved and approved unanimously.

9. SCHEDULE PUBLIC HEARINGS

The next meeting will be held after the preliminary findings and
recommendations are drafted in early to mid-November.

A public hearing will be scheduled the week of December 6, 2010.

10. OTHER BUSINESS

The meeting adjourned at 2:10 p.m.