Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Compensation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Whitestown council approves 2026 salary matrix, adds 3% COLA for paid commissions
Summary
After public comment and council debate, Whitestown's council approved ordinance 2025-22 establishing the 2026 salary matrix and separately voted to apply a 3% cost-of-living adjustment to paid board and commission members where allowed by state law. The ordinance passed 5-0.
The Town Council of Whitestown approved the 2026 salary matrix on Oct. 8 and voted to apply a 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to paid board and commission positions where permitted by state statute.
Resident Ken Kingshill questioned the increase in council DNE (do-not-exceed) amounts and called part-time council pay "not intended to be living wages," asking why the top DNE rose from $10,000 to $10,300. "If this is indeed a 3% cost of living increase, I think that's wholly inappropriate," Kingshill said.
Council members debated fairness, market pressures and parity with other jurisdictions. One council member noted fire and police contract obligations and market-driven differences for specialized roles. Several members said the recent step adjustments brought salaries closer to market and that a modest COLA is appropriate to retain staff and commissioners.
Council action: After discussion and a motion to apply the 3% COLA across eligible paid commissions (with compliance checks against state statutes), the council voted unanimously to make that change and then voted 5-0 to adopt ordinance 2025-22 as amended.
What it means: The salary matrix sets DNEs and pay bands for 2026; staff will implement the matrix in January and apply the commission COLA where statutory rules allow. Questions about actual pay vs. DNEs and future salary studies were raised; councilmembers asked staff to consider a salary study in 2026 to compare Whitestown to peer communities.
