Council Member Trammell asks to defer remarks, urges later discussion on retiree COLAs

Council Member Trammell asked the presiding officer to allow her to speak later in the meeting so citizens in the chamber could hear a discussion about cost-of-living adjustments for retirees.

"I would like to speak about it, not right now, but later on, in reference to, the COLA," Trammell said, adding that she preferred to wait because "some of the citizens are coming down here tonight" and they "wanna hear it." She also asked who should be held responsible "for this paper and or for the retirees not getting what they really deserve."

The presiding officer acknowledged Trammell's request and indicated the council would move forward with scheduling a meeting to examine COLAs for retirees beyond the current year. The presiding officer said that the COLA discussion would be considered "going forward with having a meeting that will allow us to look at COLAs for retirees going forward beyond this current year that will begin July 1."

Why it matters: Trammell's remarks flag a forthcoming policy discussion about retiree cost-of-living adjustments and indicate the council intends to set a schedule for examining COLAs; the remarks also raise questions about accountability for past retiree compensation outcomes, which the transcript leaves unresolved.

The informal meeting adjourned without a vote or additional action on the topic.