Salary Commission Organizes, Will Review By February 2

The Independent Citizens Commission that will review salaries and reimbursements for legislators, constitutional officers, Supreme Court justices and judges elected Larry Ross as chairman and Chuck Banks as vice chairman at its first meeting Thursday (Dec. 18).

The commission has the power to set new salaries, as well as changes to per diem, expenses and mileage reimbursements. The state’s economic condition must be considered.

The commission must review salaries and reimbursements by Feb. 2 and then can propose adjustments at any time after its review. Those proposals will be followed by a public comment period, with commissioners then determining final adjustments.

Other members of the commission are Mitch Berry, Barbara Graves, Stuart Hill, Brenda James, and Stephen Tipton. The members were appointed by Gov. Mike Beebe; Speaker of the House Davy Carter, R-Cabot; Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy; and Chief Justice Jim Hannah. Dismang chaired the early part of the meeting. The commission voted to authorize each member an $85 per day stipend as authorized by the amendment.

After his nomination, Ross said he hoped the commission has “vision to seek … courage to act … faith to trust one another and the people of Arkansas.”

Once the salaries are initially adjusted, future adjustments can vary by no more than 15 percent up or down. The commission is required to meet at least once a year. Judges’ salaries cannot be adjusted downward.

The commission was created in November as a result of voter approval of Amendment 3, which also extended legislative term limits to 16 years, banned lobbyists’ gifts to legislators, extended the time before ex-legislators can register as lobbyists from one to two years, and banned corporate and union contributions to campaigns. Members serve up to two four-year terms.

Aware that it’s on a tight timeline, the commission will next meet at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 30 and again on Jan. 7 and Jan. 14, with the location of the meetings to be determined. A representative of the Department of Finance and Administration will be asked to give a report about the state’s economy. The commission also will be seeking comparative salaries from other states.

A website, citizenscommission.ar.gov, has been set up for information about the commission and public comment. A phone number for public calls will be listed at the site.