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Contractor Michael Cohen seeks rate increase; council debates automatic COLA for contractors
Summary
Contractor Michael Cohen requested a rate increase and proposed a mechanism tying future increases to the city’s cost-of-living adjustments. Council discussed the merits of automatic adjustments for independent contractors, agreed a modest raise was appropriate, and asked staff to formalize terms; no formal vote was recorded.
Michael Cohen requested an hourly-rate increase and suggested tying future increases to a cost-of-living mechanism so he would not need to request periodic bumps. Council members debated whether an automatic COLA-style escalation is appropriate for an outside contractor; several members said treating an independent contractor like an employee is not appropriate but voiced willingness to grant a modest increase for the coming year.
Council members discussed the practicalities of annual adjustments, caps and the precedent it might set for other contractors. One member recommended a modest $10 increase in line with market rates discussed, while staff said the city could cap increases if desired. Council generally expressed support for a modest raise and asked staff to document the change, with a possible effective date January 1, but no formal motion or vote was recorded in the work session transcript.
Staff and council also discussed the administrative approach (letters for yearly requests vs. automatic adjustments) and suggested the city could revisit the contractor’s rate if it became unreasonable in future years.
