The Town of Southborough Personnel Board on Nov. 21 recommended a 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for the municipal classification schedule after a 3–2 roll-call vote.

The board, meeting remotely at 8:01 a.m., had one agenda item: continuing a prior discussion on a COLA that would apply across the pay grid. The presiding personnel board member said the packet contained requested data and asked members to pick a number for a recommendation that will be forwarded into the town budget process and, ultimately, an article at town meeting for final approval.

Debate focused on whether to recommend 3% or 3.3%. One member cited the Boston-area consumer price index and suggested 3.3% to match local inflation; another said a 3% increase aligned with peer-community COLA survey results and private-sector practice. A recently appointed member said health-insurance costs (an example of a 12% increase was cited) make retaining staff difficult and said he would prefer a 5% increase, but acknowledged budget constraints.

The presiding member noted the board’s obligation under the “SAP” to make a recommendation (the transcript references “SAP”; no statutory citation was provided in the meeting), and explained that a 3% or 3.3% COLA combined with the board’s scheduled 2% step/time-grade progression would produce a gross pay increase of roughly 5% or 5.3% for most employees (exceptions occur once employees have reached top step). The board also noted that collective bargaining agreements are separate matters and that the personnel board does not control union contracts.

Board member (mover) moved to approve the 3% recommendation; another member seconded. In the roll-call vote the board recorded: John — Aye; Brian — Aye; Dorian — No; Tom — No; and the presiding personnel board member — Aye. The motion passed by a 3–2 margin. Participants and staff emphasized the recommendation will be included in the town administrator’s budget materials and reviewed by the select board and advisory committee before any town-meeting article is approved.

Staff provided rough estimates of the fiscal difference between 3% and 3.3% during discussion; amounts given in the meeting varied (statements in the record referenced roughly $11,000 to $22,000 for portions of the budget); those figures were presented in the meeting as approximate. Board members asked that staff continue monitoring budget developments before the warrant is posted.

The meeting ended after a motion to adjourn, which passed by roll call.

The personnel board’s recommendation is advisory to the town’s budgeting process; final COLA approval will occur through the town budget/article process at town meeting and in coordination with the select board and advisory committee.