Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Pay Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Oak Harbor Salary Commission declines COLA for mayor and council, schedules Dec. 2 meeting
Summary
At its annual meeting the Oak Harbor Salary Commission voted unanimously to not consider a cost-of-living adjustment for the mayor and city council, approved minutes with minor edits, reviewed pending appointments and set a tentative meeting for Dec. 2 at City Hall.
The Oak Harbor Salary Commission at its annual meeting voted unanimously to not consider a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for the mayor and city council and set a tentative follow-up meeting for Dec. 2 at 11 a.m. at City Hall.
The decision came amid a brief review of draft bylaw updates, a discussion of two commission vacancies and approval of the minutes from the previous meeting with two agreed edits. Commissioners also reviewed term-expiration dates for current members and directed staff to solicit applications for the vacancies.
Why it matters: the commission advises on pay and related policy for elected city officials; by choosing not to consider a COLA at this meeting, the commission removed a potential adjustment from immediate consideration and scheduled a subsequent meeting to revisit commission business and planning.
During the bylaws review commissioners noted the draft language indicates struck text as proposed removals and double-underlined text as proposed additions, and discussed clarifying remote-attendance rules, special meetings and the annual meeting month (the draft moves the annual meeting to March). Commissioners did not request substantive changes to the draft at this session.
On appointments and terms, the commission noted two vacancies will be publicly solicited. Commissioners read portions of the membership-term schedule aloud: Jason was recorded as serving through Dec. 31, 2025; Tiffany through Dec. 31, 2025; the transcript’s phrasing for Mary’s expiration was unclear and is recorded in the minutes as not specified. Staff said it will circulate candidate information by email and post application instructions on the City of Oak Harbor website.
The commission also approved the meeting minutes with two edits, and accepted minor wording changes to a salary-related line that referenced an hourly equivalency. The commission tentatively scheduled a salary commission meeting for Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 11 a.m. at City Hall, subject to cancellation.
Votes at a glance: - Motion: Do not consider a COLA for the mayor or city council; Mover: Mary Elizabeth; Second: Jason; Outcome: Approved (unanimous approval; roll-call not specified in the transcript). - Motion: Approve meeting minutes with two edits; Mover/Second: not specified in the transcript; Outcome: Approved (voice vote: all in favor).
No formal changes to salary schedules or ordinance language were adopted during the meeting. Staff recorded that applications will be solicited for the two vacancies and that the commission will reconvene as scheduled or cancel if unnecessary.
The commission’s discussion and actions were procedural and administrative in nature; no external agencies, grant funding or new contracts were approved at this meeting. The minutes and bylaw draft will be available through the City of Oak Harbor for public review.
