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Dartmouth grants town administrator 3% merit raise and a one-time 5% FY26 bonus after evaluation
Summary
Following a board evaluation praising financial savings and improved staff morale, Dartmouth’s Select Board approved a 3% merit increase for town administrator Cody and a one-time 5% FY26 bonus; the board cited cost savings on legal fees and insurance changes as justification.
Dartmouth’s Select Board voted on June 15 to grant the town administrator a 3% merit increase and a one-time FY26 bonus equal to 5% of the current contract, following a compiled evaluation covering financial health, service delivery, communication and efficiency.
Board members highlighted fiscal results from the administrator’s first 11 months, including an estimated $191,000 saving on general town council costs and a change to the town’s health insurance that staff said produced a $2 million savings, with $1,000,000 of that reallocated to improve employee cost shares.
“I pulled together some of our savings this year where he has really had direct influence…to a savings of $191,000,” the Chair said during the evaluation discussion.
Board members said the raises and bonus were intended to reward measurable results rather than serve as a simple thank-you. One member asked for a future framework to tie any incentive payments to defined, measurable goals so the practice could be forecast and evaluated.
The motions for the merit increase and the one‑time bonus were made and seconded in regular session and approved by oral vote. The board discussed formalizing performance-based compensation criteria for future years.
The administrator, identified in the meeting as Cody, acknowledged the feedback and said he appreciated the board’s evaluation. The board also asked staff to consider how incentive structures could be standardized going forward.
