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Payson council narrows FY26 personnel increases, seeks to 'bend the curve' on rising payroll costs
Summary
At a June 3 work study, Payson staff presented options to reduce FY26 personnel cost growth. Council signaled informal consensus for a middle option that trims projected salary range adjustments and merit increases while preserving public-safety pay competitiveness and retaining hiring flexibility for critical roles.
The Payson Common Council on June 3 reviewed staff recommendations to reduce projected personnel-cost growth in the town's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget and signaled informal support for a middle-path plan to reduce the rate of pay growth.
Staff presented three personnel scenarios: the tentative budget baseline (Option 1), a moderated package staff flagged as the staff'preference (Option 2), and a hold-or-freeze package with no market or merit adjustments (Option 3). Each scenario reduces payroll growth to different degrees; staff estimated Option 2 would lower the budgeted increase enough to produce roughly $696,000 in savings compared with the tentative budget, while Option 3 would produce larger savings (about $1.2 million) but risk sharper employee retention impacts.
The discussion emphasized that personnel is…
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