Alaska Redistricting Board Meeting Next Tuesday - January 26, 2021 2:30pm - How Much Should They Get Paid? How Easy Should It Be To Follow What They Do? [Updated]

[Updates January 25:  I've added a couple of extra sentences which I've [bracketed].

So many momentous things happening that it's hard to blog meaningfully and not just repeating what readers already know.  Have some things I'm working on, but they aren't ready.  

But at this point it's easy to just offer a heads up about the next redistricting board meeting, with a thank you to EB who alerted me.  

[That's what I wrote yesterday, but when I started looking at the agenda, questions came up.  So I'll raise them here at the top and then give more details down below.]

How easy should it be to find out when meetings are and are audio tapes enough record or should there be transcripts?  If the Board isn't going to offer transcripts within a week of a meeting, then they should use the kind of system the Anchorage Assembly uses that allows people to search topics on their video tape (in this case audio tape.)

How much should the board get paid?  The recommendation is $477 a day.  100 days would be $47,700 for a 'volunteer' board.  That's twice a week per year.  Last time they met 5 days a week at times.  There is a lot of work, but the Anchorage Municipal Assembly makes $45,000 a year and I'd say they have a lot more work to do.  Aside from Assembly meetings, they have works sessions, Community Council meetings, PLUS they have to raise money and campaign for reelection.  Then there's also a budget for per diem.  Somehow the staff recommends the DOD per diem.  Not sure why other than it was more than the State per diem.  

Should they even be the ones to determine their own pay?  There aren't many government jobs where the incumbent decides her own pay.  This is the Board's fault.  The legislature should make this decision or give it to the State Officers Compensation Commission.

The Agenda

State of Alaska Redistricting Board

Date:  January 26, 2021   Time:  2:30 pm

Place:  Teleconference:

Public Numbers: Anchorage 563-9085, Juneau 586-9085, Other 844-586-9085

[I'd note the State's Public Notice website offers this link as well:  http://akleg.gov]

 Agenda

1. Call to order

2. Establish a quorum

3. Adoption of agenda

4. Board Policy Review and Discussion

a. Public Meeting and Notice Policy

b. Public Records Policy

c. Member Compensation Policy

d. Member & Staff Travel Per Diem Policy

5. Adoption of One or More Board Policies 

6. Adjournment

Here are the staff recommendations for items 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d:

4a. Staff Recommendation: Redistricting Board should adopt Alaska Open Meetings law, AS 44.62.310, as its public notice requirements. This action directs staff to ensure notice of themeeting, its location, attachments, and teleconference options, would be posted to the Alaska Public Notice System website within a “reasonable time”. Staff will further make notice of its meetings available on the legislative website.

It is the policy of the Alaska Redistricting Board that the board comply with the Alaska Open Meetings act and seek to provide 72 hours of public notice prior to board meetings with 24 hours notice being allowable. Notices shall be posted to the State of Alaska Public Notice System.

Advance public notice can be difficult if you aren't organized or if things come up at the last minute, but it's important for the public to be able figure out when the board is meeting.  Furthermore, while the State Public Notice System is there, it's not something that most people regularly use.  

I'd recommend:

• The Board continue to use the State system.  But most members of the public are not familiar with that system and aren't likely to find it easily.
• The board set up its own website where they include announcements of meetings and documents and access to tapes and transcripts of meetings.  It would also be a place where people could easily get links to listen in to meetings
• They set up a system so that people interested in the Board can get emails alerting them to new meetings.  

4b.  Public Records

"Staff Recommendation: Adopt a policy that includes recording and maintaining electronic copies of the audio recording of each meeting and keeping minutes that capture votes, motions, and a “brief statement of the position of any Board Members who makes a statement on the issue before the board” (This is modeled on legislative committee minute recording language). This could be a simple summary like, “Member A expressed concern that the proposed House District 12 did not take into account the city boundary”

It is the policy of the Alaska Redistricting Board that meetings be electronically recorded and made available to the public and that written minutes be kept of each meeting which identify motion makers, seconds, vote tallies and a brief summary of the concerns of any Board member who states a position on the issue under consideration.

My comments:  The last board had a policy of making transcripts of all meetings.  This was a good policy, but implementation was problematic.  Instead of having transcribers at the meetings, they recorded the meetings and sent them in for transcribing.  This took eight weeks or longer, in part because the transcribers couldn't identify who was talking much of the time.  

Just making an audio tape is MUCH cheaper, but it's difficult for the public to listen to hours of tape.  In a transcript you can search (unless they make it in a format that isn't searchable) and find things you are looking for much easier.  And it is much easier to scan through a written transcript than a tape.  

Now, if they use a system like the Municipality uses, which allows the public to search the video tape for the topic they are looking for, that could be useful.  

Minutes that list the bare minimum are almost useless.  We don't need to know (in most cases) who moves and seconds a motion.  We need to understand the debate and reasoning behind decisions that were made and that can only happen if there are verbatim minutes.  Yes, the tapes are there, but for the reasons mentioned above, most people simple won't have the time to listen to hours of tape.  This gives advantages to organizations that can hire people to do that kind of work.  

[I'd also note that by having virtual meetings, there is no way for the public, so far, to have informal conversations with the board members during breaks and after the meetings as there was previously. Yes, people can send emails, though I haven't found these publicly listed yet.  And that's not the same. For example, there is no process for comments - like these here - to be conveyed to the Board.  In the public meetings I could have raised these issues with members before the meetings and during breaks.  And all the Board members' emails were posted on the Board's website.

I'd also note   

4c.  Member Compensation  

Staff Recommendation: Adopt a compensation policy of $477.20 per day. Legislators are currently compensated at $486.88 per day while the legislature is in session. Staff will assist in documentation and submission of board member days of service.

“It is the policy of the Alaska Redistricting Board that members be compensated at the rate of $477.20 per day. Compensation shall be paid beginning with the Board’s first meeting.”

The $477 figure comes from figuring out the 2010 Board's pay and adding 19% inflation.  If the Board meets 100 times a year, that's $47,700.  [The last meeting took about 30 minutes.  That comes to over $900 per hour.  Of course, later meetings will take longer.  And when comparing to the last redistricting board,  one has to consider that the current board meetings so far have been, and probably for quite a while will be, virtual meetings.  There is absolutely no travel time.  Travel per diem is set for actual costs, but does not consider the members' time getting to and from meetings.]  I checked with an Anchorage Assembly member.  As I mentioned above, they get $45,000 a year, not sure how many actual assembly meetings there are because I don't attend regularly, but probably at least 26, plus they have lots of work meetings, community council meetings, and tons of reading to do for each meeting.  And they have to raise money and campaign for election.  And they are directly accountable to the public.  

Like the Board, the Assembly is not considered a full time job.  I think the Board should consider a cap on how much they get paid per year.  

4d.  Member & Staff Travel Per Diem Policy

 "Staff Recommendation: Adopt a policy based on the State of Alaska Boards and Commissions Per Diem table with actual lodging and $60 per day for meals. Amend this to include up to $25 for incidentals and $60 per day for ground transportation or car rental to reflect the fact that board members may be sent on road shows to distant communities with little logistical support available on the ground. Provide the Board Chair the ability to waive policy caps if there is documented need (for example, renting a car in Utqiagvik may cost more than the specified daily car rental rate).

“'It is the policy of the Alaska Redistricting Board that members and staff receive per-diem reimbursement for actual lodging, meals to a value of $60, actual incidentals to a value of $25 and ground transportation to a value of $60 per day for board related travel that is authorized by the Board Chair or Executive Director. Reimbursement for actual costs incurred over the maximum amounts may be made at the discretion of the Board Chair.'”

I think my issue here is NOT with the staff recommendations, per se, but with the fact that travel expenses for government employees is often a way to travel nicely.  "Actual lodging" means if they choose to stay at a nice room at the Captain Cook it costs the state a lot more than if they stay at a more economical hotel.  I think there should be language like "actual rate up to $150 a night."  If they choose to stay at a more expensive hotel, they can pay the extra.  Or the number might vary if, for example, they stay in a remote area with limited and expensive availability.  And there would be a difference between season and off-season rates.  Again, for meals.  If the Board members stayed home, they would spend a certain amount for food any way.  

At the very least, I think the Board should publish quarterly the expense accounts for each Board member.  The Alaska legislature does this.  The Board should too.  I was never able to get a budget for the last Board - though that wasn't something I put too much effort into.  So, yes, we (the public) ought to be able to see the Board's budget and actual spending.