Buellton council adopts formal COLA policy tied to CPI-W, cites $103,816 near-term cost
May 15, 2026 | Buellton City, Santa Barbara County, California
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The Buellton City Council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 26-10 at its May 14 meeting to formalize annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for regular full-time employees.
Finance staff proposed tying COLAs to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim region because the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not provide a Santa Barbara County-specific CPI-W. Staff noted the 2025 annual CPI-W was 3.2% and that adopting the automatic formula supports predictable budgeting, recruitment and retention.
Under the resolution: if CPI-W is between 0% and 5% the COLA equals the CPI-W; if CPI-W is negative the COLA is 0%; and if CPI-W exceeds 5% the COLA is capped at 5%. The resolution allows council discretion to override in a particular year. Staff estimated a fiscal-year 2026-27 cost of approximately $103,816 across general, wastewater and water funds.
The council moved, seconded and approved the resolution unanimously.
Finance staff proposed tying COLAs to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim region because the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not provide a Santa Barbara County-specific CPI-W. Staff noted the 2025 annual CPI-W was 3.2% and that adopting the automatic formula supports predictable budgeting, recruitment and retention.
Under the resolution: if CPI-W is between 0% and 5% the COLA equals the CPI-W; if CPI-W is negative the COLA is 0%; and if CPI-W exceeds 5% the COLA is capped at 5%. The resolution allows council discretion to override in a particular year. Staff estimated a fiscal-year 2026-27 cost of approximately $103,816 across general, wastewater and water funds.
The council moved, seconded and approved the resolution unanimously.
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