The state's judges need pay raises, according to the citizen task force in charge of adjusting salaries for elected officials.
After working for the past week on salaries for legislators and the state's seven constitutional officers, the seven-member Independent Citizens Commission at a public meeting Thursday took on the question of pay raises for the third branch of government.
The group, formed with the passage of Amendment 94, is to set wages as well as make recommendations for legislators' compensation packages. Thursday, the members discussed pay for state judges, ranging from district court judges to Chief Justice Jim Hannah.
The seven commission members agreed that raises were warranted.
On Monday, a majority of the task force seemed settled on raising legislator salaries from $15,869 to about $25,000.
On Tuesday, the group members supported substantial raises for the governor, attorney general and other state officers, with some suggesting nearly doubling current salaries.
But on Thursday, the average suggested raises for judges, from Hannah to the lowest state courts, hovered around 10 percent to 11 percent. Arkansas judges already earn more than other elected officials.
The commission members suggested these raises:
• Arkansas chief justice: to $179,137, up from $161,601
• Supreme Court justice: $166,957, up from $149,589
• Arkansas Court of Appeals chief judge: $163,310, up from $147,286
• Court of Appeals judge: $159,887, up from $144,982
• Circuit judge: $155,172, up from $140,372
• District judge: $139,902, up from $125,495
The group heard testimony from representatives of the Arkansas Judicial Council, which is made up of current and retired judges, who said their salaries have fallen behind because of a three-year period in which they went without cost-of-living-adjustments while salaries for judges in comparable states continued to rise.
The commission also pointed out that judges, despite being state employees, did not receive merit raises as did other state employees over the past 10 years.
In 2009, the chief justice earned $151,040. Had cost-of living adjustments continued between 2010 and 2013, and judges had been given the average merit raise given to other state employees over the past decade, the state's top judge would have been earning $191,154 instead of $161,601.
The two attorneys on the commission, vice chairman Chuck Banks and Mitch Berry, were joined by member Brenda James, in supporting raises suggested by the Arkansas Judicial Council.
The other four commission members, including chairman Larry Ross, didn't see the need.
If Supreme Court justices were to earn the $176,584, instead of the current salary of $149,589, their salaries would be higher than what justices receive in Arkansas' neighboring states of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri and Mississippi, commission members said.
Only Tennessee justices would earn more.
Banks, a Little Rock attorney, said it was a matter of fairness to treat state judges as state employees and pay them the rate that should have been kept with cost-of-living increases as well as merit raises.
"These people are the best of the best. They came here because citizens of their district voted for them because of their integrity, ability, wisdom and fairness to be able to handle the lives of their children, their property and their freedom," Banks said.
Berry also said that unlike legislators, judges do work full time, and have rigorous education and work experience requirements before they can even run for office.
"These are professionals. In my mind, that makes a big difference," Berry said.
Commission member Stuart Hill said he appreciated Banks' "passion" on the issue, but said it wasn't backed by data.
"Those judges [in other states] have to deal with the same thing our judges do," Hill said. "Why should you pay judges in Arkansas more than you do in Oklahoma? Or Tennessee? Or Louisiana?"
Commission member Barbara Graves also thought a lower increase was appropriate.
"The numbers not only from a market perspective, but a sustainable perspective ... you're looking at some super high salaries here," she said.
The commission will meet today to vote on salary levels for legislators, judges and the constitutional offices as a part of an "initial review." The members also will vote on what recommendations, if any, to give to legislators regarding lawmakers' per diems, mileage and other expense reimbursements.
On Monday, commission members will meet again and formalize their decisions, which will prompt a 30-day public-comment period before they make their final decisions and submit them to the state auditor.
Today's meeting will start at 8:30 a.m. at the University of Arkansas System Administration building in Cammack Village.
Metro on 01/30/2015