Town staff presented personnel proposals for the draft 2026 budget that would add roughly 5.5 full‑time equivalent positions and include market adjustments for existing staff.

Staff said the proposed budget lists net additions including a half‑time code‑enforcement officer (after SafeBuilt stopped providing the service), a communications position, two administrative technicians to support parks and police, a police sergeant and a parks maintenance worker. The draft also includes a proposed 4% across‑the‑board pay increase, a 1% contribution increase to the public retirement system referenced by staff, and an 8% increase in benefits costs (staff said benefits were still under review by the benefits committee).

Council discussion focused on timing of a proposed council compensation ordinance, the cost and tradeoffs of replacing an outside communications contractor with an in‑house communications FTE and the role proposed for a GIS specialist.

On council pay, staff presented a budget line anticipating about $11,000 annually if all five seats are compensated. Staff outlined two timing options: (1) begin paying newly elected members following their elections as seats are filled, or (2) wait until 2028 and begin payments for all council members together. Staff said an ordinance would be brought forward for council consideration and that current incumbents cannot vote themselves immediate pay per state law conventions.

On communications and consulting, staff said bringing communications in‑house would increase net personnel costs but would reduce contracted consulting expenses; an estimate presented showed contractor costs falling from over $100,000 to roughly $30,000 if the in‑house position is hired, while the full cost of the FTE with benefits was roughly estimated in staff remarks.

Council members also asked for additional detail about the GIS position; public‑works staff described the role as an asset‑management and system‑architect position to inventory and automate tracking of town infrastructure, with anticipated multi‑department usage and potential for future technician support as the town grows.

What happens next: staff said it will draft an ordinance for council pay and return with details tied to timing choices; staffing requests remain in the draft budget for council direction and further refinement.

Exact staff and council decisions: no formal ordinance was adopted at the work session; staff was directed to draft the council compensation ordinance for future formal consideration and to proceed refining personnel cost estimates.