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Selectmen advance 2026 budget: agree on 2.7% COLA approach and increase welfare stipend
Summary
Board members reviewed the 2026 proposed budget, asked staff to apply a consistent 2.7% cost-of-living adjustment across wage lines, approved an increase to the annual welfare stipend and scheduled joint review with the budget committee on Oct. 22.
Selectmen on Oct. 6 reviewed the draft 2026 budget, agreed to standardize how cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) are applied and voted to increase the municipal welfare stipend.
Board members noted inconsistencies in the draft materials and directed staff to ensure each wage line is treated consistently; one selectman proposed raising wage lines by 2.7%, a figure the board accepted as the general approach. Members asked staff to add page numbers and consistent headings before sending the corrected materials to the budget committee for the Oct. 22 joint meeting.
During budget discussion the board debated a proposed increase to the welfare stipend (figures discussed in the meeting moved the stipend from prior-line amounts toward roughly $7,159 annually in board calculations). A motion to increase the welfare stipend was made, seconded and approved; the board also requested quarterly reports from the welfare officer to document activity and use of funds.
The board discussed other budget sensitivities, including projected health insurance increases and a potential 6¢ tax-rate effect referenced during the meeting; members emphasized that the budget committee will review revenue assumptions and offsets (including a potential ambulance revolving fund transfer) at the upcoming joint meeting.
