2023-06-08 Salary Commission Minutes (Draft)

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Salary Commission June 8, 2023 these itemsas our previous one—can be tabled, right—for you to continue to digest, read, research, review the materials provided, and think on it as you have a better understanding of the information before you. And look at the work that the Honolulu City and County Salary Commission did—'cause they created a PIG. Was that beneficial? Review it and think to yourself, "Is this something that would be beneficial to this Commission?" And maybe not. Maybe the information gathered, you feel, could be done collectively as one Commission, as opposed to another PIG, right— ,cause ight`cause that requires additional meetings for whomever is in that PIG—then you report back, right. So, ultimately, that's a question for all of you to decide on. MS. GREENBAUM: Thank you. MS. NAKAMA: Teresa Nakama, District 8. Sorry, Judy. Question—can two—regarding Sunshine Law—can two members meet without a PIG? MS. FRENZ: You should—and I will cover this more in-depth with you, Commissioner Nakama—you should refrain from discussing board business outside of public hearings. The purpose of Sunshine Law is to ensure transparency to the public and if there are agenda items, and you are discussing them outside—it would and could create the appearance to someone who may not know any better, that you are violating Sunshine. So, it is much cleaner to avoid conversations, such as those, outside of board hearings unless you are doing it properly—and we can continue to discuss that off-line. MS. NAKAMA: So, the question is, in order to do any form of discussion, we'd have to form a PIG so that two members can meet and talk about agenda items? MS. FRENZ: Or you do that here, in our open hearings. MS. NAKAMA: Or the open hearings. MS. FRENZ: Complying with Sunshine. MS. NAKAMA: To comply with Sunshine Law. MS. FRENZ: So, one of the things that I cover with everyone is violations of the spirit of Sunshine Law. While they may not be legal violations of Sunshine, your conversation with one other Commissioner could result in a conversation with another Commissioner, and then the same conversation with another Commissioner, and another. And before you know it, although you haven't legally violated Sunshine it violates the spirit of Sunshine, right, by having what we, kind of call "serial communications" when those could and should occur before the public, so they can see what our thought processes are. Page 33