PUBLIC SESSION
MEETING CONVENED
Committee Chair Josefina Martinez called the meeting to order at 9:34 a.m. Also in attendance were Committee member and Commission Chair Margot Botsford and Committee member and Commission Executive Director David A. Wilson. Committee Chair Martinez, Chair Botsford, and Mr. Wilson all participated remotely.
REMOTE PARTICIPATION
Committee Chair Martinez announced that the meeting would take place by videoconference with remote access provided to the public pursuant to the law signed by Governor Healey on March 29, 2023. Committee Chair Martinez noted that all votes at the meeting would be taken by roll call.
APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES
On the motion of Committee Chair Martinez, seconded by Mr. Wilson, the Committee voted 3-0 to waive the reading and approve the public session minutes of the November 15, 2022 and November 22, 2022 Committee meetings.
| Vote: | |
|---|---|
| Committee Chair Martinez | Yes |
| Committee Member Botsford | Yes |
| Committee Member Wilson | Yes |
DISCUSSION
The Commission’s Spending Plan for Fiscal Year 2024
At Mr. Wilson’s request, Government Affairs Officer Robert Milt and Chief Financial Officer Alice Wu provided an update on the Commission’s Fiscal Year 2024 spending plan.
Ms. Wu reported that, in Fiscal Year 2023, the Commission received $2,999,468 in funding which supported annualized costs, such as salaries and subscription costs associated with the new conflict of interest law online training program. She briefly explained each category of spending in Fiscal Year 2023. Ms. Wu noted that any unspent funds from Fiscal Year 2023, due to staff turnover, would revert to the Commonwealth’s General Fund unless the Commission submits a request to the Executive Office for Administration and Finance for certain unspent funds to be carried over to Fiscal Year 2024. She reported that the approximately 1% in unspent funds from Fiscal Year 2023 was the lowest amount that the Commission has ever reverted to the state. Ms. Wu stated that the Commission must also provide an estimate of all civil penalties collected by the Commission that will revert to the Commonwealth’s General Fund, which was $210,800 in Fiscal Year 2023.
Mr. Milt reported that the Fiscal Year 2024 spending level is $485,563 more than the Fiscal Year 2023 spending level. He noted that while employee compensation typically amounts to approximately 92% of spending each year, it amounted to only 86.8% in Fiscal Year 2023 due to increased costs associated with the new conflict of interest law online training program and the new legal case management system. Mr. Milt stated that, in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, there is approximately $110,000 in funding for a new attorney position, $165,000 to retain and attract staff with competitive compensation and benefits, and $47,000 to provide salary increases for the Commission’s Non-Unit 6 employees.
[Mr. Milt left the meeting at 9:53 a.m.]
Mr. Wilson reminded the Commission that nine Commission staff are paid according to the NAGE Unit 6 Collective Bargaining Agreement salary schedule, and the rest of the staff, other than himself, are paid salaries determined by the Executive Director in consultation with Chief Financial Officer Alice Wu and approved by the Commission. He explained that on May 18, 2023, NAGE and the Commonwealth entered into a one-year CBA for Unit 6, covering July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024. Mr. Wilson said the CBA calls for a 4% salary increase effective July 2023, followed by a second salary increase of 4% effective January 2024, for all positions.
[Mr. Milt rejoined the meeting at 9:55 a.m.]
Mr. Wilson stated that the $47,000 in salary increases for the Commission’s employees not paid according to the Unit 6 CBA salary schedule will help maintain parity between their compensation and the compensation of Commission employees paid according to the Unit 6 CBA salary schedule. Mr. Milt stated that there is also approximately $81,000 for the subscription costs associated with the new online training program, $16,000 to send a delegation consisting of Commission staff to the upcoming Annual Council on Governmental Ethics Laws Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, and $26,000 for the maintenance and support of the SFI system.
Chair Botsford asked why the Commission had the need for a new attorney position. Mr. Milt explained that the Enforcement Division had been short-staffed for many years, which caused the backlog over time when the Division received more cases than it could manage. Committee Chair Martinez commended the Enforcement Division for drastically reducing the intake backlog now that the Division is fully staffed. Chair Botsford requested that the budget team provide its slide deck presentations to the Committee members in advance of each Committee meeting for future meetings. Mr. Wilson thanked Mr. Milt and Ms. Wu for their work on the budget and for providing an overview on the Commission’s Fiscal Year 2024 spending plan.
ADJOURN MEETING
At 10:22 a.m., on the motion of Committee Chair Martinez, seconded by Chair Botsford, the Committee voted 3-0 to adjourn.
| Vote: | |
|---|---|
| Committee Chair Martinez | Yes |
| Committee Member Botsford | Yes |
| Committee Member Wilson | Yes |
LIST OF DOCUMENTS USED AT THIS MEETING
- Agenda for the Committee Meeting of September 11, 2023
- Minutes of the Committee Meeting of November 15, 2022 Public Session
- Minutes of the Committee Meeting of November 22, 2022 Public Session
Respectfully submitted,
Arthur Xia
Senior Program Coordinator