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Augusta commission narrows 2026 shortfall with hiring freeze, 1% COLA and nonprofit cuts; millage decision deferred
Summary
After hours of debate, the Augusta City Commission reached tentative agreement on a package of expense-side reductions — including a six‑month hiring freeze, a 1% cost‑of‑living adjustment and reductions to some nonprofit funding — while deferring a final vote on a millage increase to a reconvened session Dec. 2.
Augusta City administrators and commissioners spent more than three hours Wednesday negotiating proposals to close an estimated budget gap for fiscal 2026, producing a tentative expense-side package that the governing body said it would finalize at a December reconvening.
The package the commission moved toward would extend a hiring freeze to six months, restore a 1% cost‑of‑living adjustment for municipal employees beginning in April 2026 and remove a proposed energy excise tax from the revenue plan. The group also approved a set of additional reductions to discretionary grants and nonprofit funding and directed staff to preserve core transit routes while reducing frequency on some weekday routes.
Administrator Allen told commissioners she had presented three revenue…
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