Anniston staff present proposed COLA options, reimbursements and vehicle purchase; no formal votes recorded

Anniston City Council members discussed personnel cost options and several routine budget and procurement items, including a proposed cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) presentation, reimbursements for travel and a capital purchase of eight police utility vehicles.

During the budget discussion staff listed items in the personnel and benefits budget, including a health-insurance line of $4,040,000 and $337,700 for workers’ compensation. Staff presented a COLA option that they described as a separate percentage for all employees (excluding employees who recently received raises or those already at the top of their pay scale). The presentation described the separate adjustment as a higher percentage than an across-the-board increase and included an approximate figure given in the transcript as "about 0.7%" for…