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Somerset council adopts FY2026 budget; manager pay scale increased
Summary
Somerset’s Town Council adopted the fiscal 2026 budget on May 5, approving a town-manager salary adjustment and finalizing other line-item amendments. The council approved the budget as amended after debate over multiple fee-waiver and appropriation proposals.
The Somerset Town Council voted to adopt the fiscal year 2026 budget (July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026) during its May 5 meeting after extended discussion of several amendments.
Town staff described the multi-month budget process and a series of work sessions that led to the introduced proposal. During council rounds, members proposed and debated a set of amendments including recreation-fee waivers, beekeeping funding proposals, and a pay-scale revision for the town manager.
A motion to raise the town manager pay scale to $135,000 was introduced and carried after a second; supporters said the adjustment brings the salary closer to comparable jurisdictions after a staff compensation review, while one councilor requested a follow-up executive-session review of supporting documentation. The manager pay-scale amendment was adopted as part of the budget approval.
Recreation fees and other amendments
Councilors also discussed waiving pool-related fees (water aerobics, early-bird swim and guest passes) and other small revenue/expenditure changes tied to pool programs. The council debated how waiving fees would affect expenditures and whether the town should absorb those costs through property-tax-supported revenue. Some fee-waiver proposals were adopted in amended form while others were set for further review.
Outcome and next steps
The council approved the budget as amended and closed the public hearing. Staff will implement the changes consistent with the adopted ordinance and return with follow-up information — including any finer-grained details required by specific amendments — as part of regular fiscal oversight.
