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Council adopts ordinance to revise 2026 salary schedule after debate over negotiations and process
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Summary
The council approved an ordinance to adopt a revised 2026 salary schedule and waived a second reading after members debated whether to separate union-negotiated items from nonunion administrative adjustments and clarified payroll math.
The City Council approved an ordinance described in the meeting as "ordinance number 15 55" amending "ordinance number 15 39" to adopt a revised 2026 salary schedule and waived the ordinance’s second reading. Speaker 3 moved to approve the ordinance; Speaker 5 seconded the motion and the chair put the matter to a voice vote.
Council members repeatedly said the salary changes had been reviewed at a prior budget workshop and that the budget committee recommended the attached 2026 salary grid. Several members expressed concern that items still in union negotiations were bundled with nonunion administrative adjustments, which made it difficult to know the final budget impact until negotiations concluded. "It's hard to mix those two when we've already approved one and it's in the budget," one council member said, urging separation of negotiated and nonnegotiated items.
Members asked staff to clarify the apparently small dollar amount listed on the salary table. Staff explained the $1.85 figure was a per-paycheck amount misprinted as a monthly increase; the corrected per-paycheck increase cited was $3.70. Council discussed that the workshop included estimates for the budget and that a finalized negotiated amount could be higher or lower than the estimate once contract talks finished.
One council member suggested tying administrative increases to a consumer price index (CPI) reference so cost-of-living adjustments would reflect broader price changes, rather than relying solely on negotiated numbers. Another council member noted benchmarking with other Washington cities: a review of roughly 61–66 responses produced an average cost-of-living raise near 2.94–2.96 percent, which the council used in setting a 3% guideline.
The motion to adopt the ordinance carried on a voice vote. At least one member indicated reluctance about the process and said they would "stay until there's improved processes," but the ordinance was approved during the meeting.
Next steps: the council adopted the revised salary schedule; any budget amendments required to reflect final negotiated contract amounts will depend on the outcome of ongoing union negotiations.
