Resident analysis urges early review of town salary schedule amid affordable‑housing concerns for staff

A resident, David Middleman, told the Woodside Town Council that an analysis of the town’s staff salary schedule against 2025 Department of Housing and Urban Development income limits shows substantial gaps between town wages and local cost‑of‑living metrics.

Middleman said his review considered 112 staff‑salary/household size permutations and found that about 75% of those single‑earner scenarios would fall below the county median income; he said that 23% of permutations fall into HUD’s extremely low or very low categories and that only four town staff positions would meet or exceed the county median for a family of four under the HUD limits.

Town Manager Jason Ledbetter said the town conducts annual reviews of salary schedules and noted that staff will present budget and salary considerations in January’s budget cycle. Council members thanked the resident for the analysis and said they would continue to monitor town compensation and staffing as part of the annual budget process.

Why it matters: Salary competitiveness affects the town’s ability to recruit and retain staff and can have downstream effects on service delivery.

What’s next: Town staff will include compensation review and budget considerations in the annual January budget calendar and continue to brief the council on any proposed changes.