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Snowflake staff proposes 5% COLA for FY26-27; police pay excluded
Summary
Town staff presented 3/4/5% cost‑of‑living options for the FY26‑27 budget and said they will prepare the budget assuming a 5% COLA (the police pay scale would not be included); the council raised questions about merit pay, retention, and inflation.
At a Feb. 3 work session, Brian Richards, a town staff member, told the Snowflake Town Council that staff will prepare the FY26‑27 budget assuming a 5% cost‑of‑living adjustment for employees and that the police pay scale would not be included in that proposal.
The council heard three COLA scenarios — 3%, 4% and 5% — and discussed tradeoffs. Councilmember Byron Lewis said the increase would help employees: "inflation is at a little above 4%, lets give them an increase above that; they deserve it," while Councilmember Travis Kay noted that "it is pretty typical in the business world to see 1‑3%, but it does show that we care about our employees if we give them 5%." Councilmember Greg Brimhall emphasized retention, saying it "keeps our employees instead of losing them to a different agency." Reid Stinnett asked whether the change would be for a single year.
Brian Richards said the 5% figure is his planning assumption for the coming budget cycle and that the finalized proposal will be returned to the council for formal approval. Councilmembers also raised whether merit pay should accompany a COLA and how to balance cost pressures with employee retention.
No formal motion or vote was recorded during the work session; the discussion was framed as guidance to staff for preparing the proposed budget. The council will consider the formal budget and any proposed pay‑scale changes in a future public meeting.
