Council advances 2026 budget; councilwoman proposes 2% raise for part‑time employees

The council combined budget items 10 through 37 into a single vote and introduced the 2026 general fund and capital budgets. During amendments, Councilwoman Deborah Ross proposed adding a 2% wage increase for part‑time city employees — a measure she said would cost approximately $10,669 in total across affected accounts as calculated in the budget draft. Ross said the amendment would address pay equity for part‑time staff; she clarified the proposal did not include part‑time council members.

Council members raised procedural and substantive questions. One member observed that a past budget change had provided raises to an assistant city attorney position that is technically listed as part‑time but classified differently in the charter; staff explained some positions are classified differently and therefore treated separately for pay purposes. Administration staff (Nottingham and Amanda) said an amendment must be formalized to be included in the budget and that some line items had been omitted previously because no formal amendment had been submitted.

The motion to amend the budget to add 2% for part‑time employees was seconded and opened for discussion; council members debated the scope (how many positions are approved/funded and which are filled), the fiscal impact on specific departments and precedent for pay adjustments. The transcript ends while the council continued discussion and review of classifications, with staff noting there are 28 approved part‑time positions of which a subset are filled.