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Otis Select Board and Finance Committee agree to 2.8% COLA, weigh library ballot and hold several department budgets
Summary
At their March 6 meeting, the Town of Otis Select Board and Finance Committee agreed to a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment for compensation planning, discussed whether a library borrowing measure should be a debt exclusion or override on the ballot, and left multiple department budgets for further review.
On March 6, 2026, the Town of Otis Select Board and Finance Committee met jointly at the Town Hall Conference Room to continue budget preparation for FY25. Chair Gary Thomas presided over a multi-hour discussion that produced several planning decisions but left a number of department budgets open for further review.
Select Board/Finance Committee member Brandi Page updated the board on annual audits and said staff hope to move the town into FY25 accounting soon. As an early step in budget work, the board agreed to a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment to the compensation chart, a figure the minutes note is in line with the Social Security COLA. After reviewing departmental requests, the board asked Brandi Page to place a tentative 4% figure into salary lines for planning purposes; the minutes record that this is a planning placeholder rather than a final adoption.
Members discussed whether a planned library borrowing measure should go to voters as a debt exclusion or as an override; no final decision was recorded and the question remains for a future meeting. Select Board/Finance Committee member Terry Gould said there had been misinformation at a School Committee meeting that overstated the EMS budget relative to the education budget. Brandi Page said she would issue a clarification to the Observer to correct that misstated comparison.
The board also discussed staffing requests, including increased hours for the Council on Aging (COA) position and the Treasurer, and considered stipends for management of Short-Term Rentals. Several department budgets were held for additional review at the next meeting: Conservation, Police, Fire & Rescue, Animal Control, Education, Highway, Snow & Ice, the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and Health Insurance.
The meeting record does not include detailed dollar amounts for most items, recorded roll-call votes for the personnel adjustments, or final approvals for the held budgets. The meeting adjourned at 1:52 p.m.
