Committee recommends 3% cost-of-living increase for nonunion town employees

The Ordinance Committee voted to recommend that the town council adopt a salary ordinance implementing a 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for nonunion town employees. Committee members and staff said union contracts remain unchanged and budget authority for the increase had already been approved.

Paul Smidoni, the town administrator, described the measure as "a cost of living adjustment for the nonunion folks that work here at the town," saying the ordinance updates the minimum, mid and maximum salary ranges to align with already-budgeted spending. "This is reflective of that 3% adjustment across the board for all 3 categories," he said.

Members discussed recruitment challenges for specific positions. One member said the town has been six months without an engineer and noted competitive pay is sometimes necessary to recruit qualified candidates. The chair and members also discussed how the ordinance affects incumbent employees versus new hires.

Committee members used a specific example from the salary table in discussion: the current van driver earns about $44,000, while the proposed range shows a minimum around $39,000 and a maximum near $51,000, giving managers latitude to set starting pay within the band. "You could either get a minimum salary of 39 or if they're an expert van driver, go up to 51," the chair said.

After discussion the committee moved to recommend adoption to the council. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Next steps: The committee forwarded the salary ordinance recommendation to the town council for formal adoption and implementation of the 3% adjustment in payroll.