PUBLIC SESSION
MEETING CONVENED
Committee Chair Josefina Martinez called the meeting to order at 3:05 p.m. Also in attendance was Committee member and Commission Chair Maria J. Krokidas and Committee member and Commission Executive Director David A. Wilson. Committee Chair Martinez, Chair Krokidas, and Mr. Wilson participated remotely.
REMOTE PARTICIPATION
Committee Chair Martinez announced that the meeting would take place remotely pursuant to the law signed by Governor Baker on June 16, 2021 extending certain COVID-19 measures adopted during the state of emergency. She stated that members of the public had been invited to watch and listen to the public session via Zoom Webinar. Committee Chair Martinez noted that all votes at the meeting would be taken by roll call.
APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES
On the motion of Chair Krokidas, seconded by Mr. Wilson, the Committee voted 3-0 to waive the reading and approve the public session minutes of the February 3, 2021 and May 18, 2021 Committee meetings.
| Committee Chair Martinez | Yes |
| Committee Member Krokidas | Yes |
| Committee Member Wilson | Yes |
DISCUSSION
Fiscal Year 2022 Spending Plan
At Mr. Wilson’s request, Government Affairs Officer Robert Milt provided an update on the Commission’s Fiscal Year 2022 spending plan and Fiscal Year 2023 maintenance funding request. Mr. Milt said that the funding enabled the Commission to hire two Special Investigators and to retain a contract investigator to further reduce the complaint backlog. He also said that the Commission has made significant progress on the replacement of the Commission’s conflict of interest law online training programs and legacy case management system, Ethos.
Mr. Milt explained that the Commission has purchased the necessary equipment for staff to facilitate hybrid work and to provide a safe and comfortable office environment. He stated that the funding will also help to improve adjudicatory proceedings through the development of mediation and pro bono counsel programs. Mr. Wilson noted that the mediation and pro bono counsel programs will involve substantial administrative work, which may require additional staffing to ensure that the programs run smoothly.
Committee Chair Martinez asked whether overall expenditures have grown since most Commission staff are working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Wilson explained that Information Technology spending increased to purchase work laptops and cell phones for staff. Chair Krokidas asked whether the Commission would discuss the Assistant Agency Counsel position during the presentation. Mr. Milt explained that the Assistant Agency Counsel position was added in Fiscal Year 2021, not in Fiscal Year 2022. Mr. Wilson explained that the Assistant Agency Counsel position serves as a model for future hiring depending on the needs of the Commission.
Chair Krokidas asked whether the Commission provides enforcement statistics when it submits its maintenance budget requests, particularly the complaint backlog. Mr. Wilson confirmed that the Commission submits the enforcement intake and case metrics and explained that complaint backlog indicates a huge demand for Commission services. Mr. Milt noted that the complaint backlog has decreased in recent months with additional staff in the Enforcement Division.
Mr. Milt reported that approximately 93% of the maintenance budget of $2,666,362 for Fiscal Year 2022 consists of staff salaries and benefits. He explained that the Commission provides competitive compensation to improve employee retention, which includes training and career advancement opportunities.
Fiscal Year 2023 Maintenance Funding Request
Mr. Milt reported that the Commission will request a maintenance budget of $2,900,367 for Fiscal Year 2023 to seek funding for annualized costs, such as salaries and new costs associated with delivering the new online training program. He noted that the maintenance budget request must be submitted to the Executive Office for Administration and Finance by October 28, 2021. Mr. Milt said that the development and implementation of the new online training program will be funded by Fiscal Year 2023 capital funding until the program is made available to the public.
Mr. Wilson noted that the National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) has reached a new 3-year collective bargaining agreement with the Commonwealth. He said that this significantly impacts Commission spending because several Commission staff members are paid according to the NAGE Unit 6 Collective Bargaining Agreement salary schedule. Mr. Wilson noted that the Commission has in recent years provided similar cost of living increases for the Commission employees whose compensation is not set according the agreement. He explained that maintenance costs will increase if the Commission continues to commit to providing equitable pay for those Commission employees.
Committee Chair Martinez asked about the Commission’s track record on its maintenance funding requests. Mr. Milt responded that the Commission has received its funding requests every year since Fiscal Year 2018. He explained that the Commission has requested modest funding increases of less than 4% each year. Mr. Milt noted that the higher levels of funding have enabled the Commission to become fully staffed.
Chair Krokidas asked whether the Commission will have sufficient funding to approve the salary increases. Mr. Wilson responded that the Commission’s Fiscal Year 2022 maintenance budget includes funding for the salary increases. He stated that when the new Unit 6 agreement goes into effect, he will request that the Commission approve the salary increases at an upcoming Commission meeting.
Committee Chair Martinez and Chair Krokidas thanked Mr. Milt and Chief Financial Officer Alice Wu for their work on the spending plan and the maintenance funding request. Mr. Milt said that he will provide an update on the maintenance funding request at the next Commission meeting.
ADJOURN MEETING
At 3:49 p.m., on the motion of Committee Chair Martinez, seconded by Chair Krokidas, the Committee voted 3-0 to adjourn.
| Committee Chair Martinez | Yes |
| Committee Member Krokidas | Yes |
| Committee Member Wilson | Yes |
Respectfully submitted,
Arthur Xia
Program Coordinator