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A panel created by voters to set salaries for elected officials say those officials should get pay increases next year only if state workers do.

However, the panel thinks associate circuit judges should get a $1,500 annual bump for two years to close the pay gap with circuit judges.

By law, the commission on compensation is supposed to have 22 members.

This one has had only 10 - those appointed by the Missouri Supreme Court and secretary of state.

Gov.Blunt never appointed his members.

"Given the national slowdown, the fact that there is a real threat of actual deflaction, rather than inflation, and that you see declining general revenue numbers." Blunt told reporters Tuesday morning. "I don't know that this is the time to consider a pay increase for elected officials."

But by not appointing salary commissioner members, Blunt left the panel heavy with judicial appointees and a focus on pay equity for judges.

"We are the 18th most populous state in the country," Jefferson City attorney Chuck McPheeters testified at a salary commission hearing at the capitol.  "But we are 37th in how we value our judges."

Missouri voters created the compensation commission so lawmakers could not set their own salaries The original law gave lawmakers the power to reject the panel's recommendations for pay hikes - and, initially, they did so.

That kept judges from getting pay raises as well.

Then the law was changed to require a two-thirds majority to reject the recommended raises. That makes it much easier to vote no and still get the money.

However, this time, there is the added question of whether the salary commission can operate legally with only 10 members.

The law does not clearly define a quorum.

At the capitol hearing, commission chairman Tim Hufker told reporters,  "All of the appointees on the commission felt that the constitution said we should proceed with this process. so that's what we proceeded with."

By law, the commission must have it's recommendations turned in to the Secretary of State's office by Dec. 1.