House Committee on Local Government (04/18/2006)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Date:	04/18/2006	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:31 PM to 02:32 PM	Berens	*
		Cerbo	*
Place:	HCR 0112	Curry	X
		Decker	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Massey	X
	Representative Hodge	Merrifield	*
		Soper	X
This Report was prepared by		Stafford	X
	Carl Jarrett	Stengel	X
		Lindstrom	X
		Hodge	X
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
HCR06-1004		Postponed Indefinitely

01:33 PM -- HCR 06-1004

Representative Weissmann, sponsor, explained the provisions of HCR 06-1004 to refer to the voters the question of whether to give to county commissioners the authority to set the salaries of county officials. He provided background on legislation adopted earlier this legislative session containing recommendations from the Colorado State Officials' Compensation Commission on the salaries of elected county officials. Representative Weissmann also provided information on some of the arguments he has heard from individuals who are against the concurrent resolution.

Committee members who signed on as cosponsors to the concurrent resolution spoke to their reasons for changing their positions on the legislation. Other committee members expressed their reasoning for supporting and opposing the concurrent resolution.

01:44 PM

George Epp, County Sheriffs of Colorado, spoke in opposition to the concurrent resolution (Attachment A and Attachment B). He spoke to the roles that personalities and politics could play at the local level in setting county officials' salaries, particularly in smaller jurisdictions. He reviewed the purpose of the compensation commission and spoke to the factors the commission is to consider in recommending salary changes to the General Assembly.

01:49 PM

Sharon Jones, County Treasurers' Association, spoke in opposition to the concurrent resolution.

01:50 PM

Carol Snyder, Colorado County Clerks and Recorders Association, Adams County Board of Commissioners, spoke in opposition to the concurrent resolution.

01:50 PM

Warren Ward, Colorado Association of County Surveyors, spoke in opposition to the concurrent resolution. He noted that county surveyor salaries are currently set by county commissioners and it is because of that experience that the surveyors oppose the bill. In response to a committee question, Mr. Ward noted that in many counties, qualified surveyors refuse to run for office because of the level of salary set in those counties.

01:53 PM

Wesley Riber, County Coroners Association, Douglas County, spoke in opposition to the concurrent resolution. Mr. Riber noted he was also a member of the compensation commission and he spoke to how county coroner salaries have been set under current law.

01:54 PM

Robert Balink, El Paso County Clerk and Recorder, spoke in opposition to the concurrent resolution. He spoke to problems county officials sometimes have obtaining funding from county commissioners for additional personnel, particularly when independently elected public officials are making the request.

01:57 PM

The committee recessed.

02:20 PM

The committee reconvened. Representative Weissmann provided closing comments on the concurrent resolution. He commented that the General Assembly is ill-equipped to set county salaries and provided examples of inequities in the salaries of county officials that have been set by the legislature.

Committee members provided comments on their reasons for supporting or opposing the legislation.


BILL:	HCR 1004
TIME:	02:29:54 PM
MOVED:	Decker
MOTION:	Postpone the concurrent resolution indefinitely. (See substitute motion below). The motion carried on a 9-2 roll call vote.
SECONDED:	Stafford
		VOTE
	Berens	Yes
	Cerbo	No
	Curry	Yes
	Decker	Yes
	Massey	Yes
	Merrifield	No
	Soper	Yes
	Stafford	Yes
	Stengel	Yes
	Lindstrom	Yes
	Hodge	Yes
Final YES: 9 NO: 2 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


BILL:	HCR06-1004
TIME:	02:30:20 PM
MOVED:	Merrifield
MOTION:	SUBSTITUTE MOTION: Refer the concurrent resolution to the Committee of the Whole. The motion failed on a 2-9 roll call vote.
SECONDED:	Cerbo
		VOTE
	Berens	No
	Cerbo	Yes
	Curry	No
	Decker	No
	Massey	No
	Merrifield	Yes
	Soper	No
	Stafford	No
	Stengel	No
	Lindstrom	No
	Hodge	No
Not Final YES: 2 NO: 9 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: FAIL

02:31 PM

The committee adjourned.