Denmark budget committee leans toward 3.5% wage increase in straw poll

A joint session of the Town of Denmark budget committee and select board on March 17 tentatively backed a 3.5% wage increase for town employees in a nonbinding straw poll, a move members said was intended to bolster employee morale while limiting the increase on an average tax bill.

Town Manager: “Would you pay an extra $5 to give our employees a 3.5% raise versus a 2.8%? I definitely would,” the Town Manager said, summarizing the staff-run mill-rate scenarios and arguing the household impact would be modest.

The committee discussed three pay-increase scenarios—2.8%, 3.0% and 3.5%—and asked staff to provide exact dollar impacts on total wages and benefits. Members noted the difference between 2.8% and 3.5% totals ranged from roughly $4,000 to $7,700 in the models presented, depending on whether benefits and taxes were included. Several participants emphasized that line-item reductions already made in the packet could offset part of the wage increase.

A straw poll conducted by the chair showed broad, tentative support for the 3.5% scenario: five members indicated support for 3.5%, with one member preferring to hold at 2.8%. Several members characterized their tallies as tentative, saying they wanted staff to finalize other cuts and the mill-rate estimate before a formal vote at a later meeting.

Why it matters: The committee’s tentative preference sets a direction for drafting the warrant the board will present to voters. Committee members stressed they were making a recommendation and that the final decision will occur in the formal vote process the town uses.

Next steps: Staff committed to updating the mill-rate calculations to reflect current assessment values and the committee’s proposed adjustments, to check bond and loan rate options for capital items, and to return with refined numbers before the warrant is finalized.