Mayor proposes tiered COLA to boost low‑paid city workers; council urges more research

The council debated a proposed tiered cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) for FY2027 that would allocate higher percentage increases to lower‑paid employees and smaller increases to higher‑paid staff. Jared presented the mayor’s requested model: tier 1 (0–$80,000) at 3.5%, tier 2 ($80,001–$110,000) at 3%, and tier 3 ($110,000+) at 2.5% under one formulation, and staff said scenario 1 with a 3% COLA overall fits funding.

"So I'm simply considering 3.5 for tier 1 because it's the highest we're gonna go," Mayor French said while pressing staff to find money for nondiscretionary items that were not funded. Robert Camarino, the city manager, counseled caution, noting the city has never used a tiered COLA and warning of unintended consequences — morale, internal equity and effects on promotions.

Several council members opposed the tiered approach without more evidence. Mayor Pro Tem Capizzi and Council member Evers argued for reliance on a market compensation study and broader research. Council members asked staff to bring data from other cities that have implemented tiers and to use the planned 2027 market study to inform any structural change.

Staff numbers: Jared reported headcount distribution under the proposed tiers as 514 employees in tier 1, 38 in tier 2 and 37 in tier 3, and gave average annual increases of about $1,924 (tier 1), $3,636 (tier 2) and $5,346 (tier 3) for non‑uniform positions.

Next steps: council did not adopt the tiered plan at the workshop. Staff recommended research and possibly piloting or returning with comparative lessons learned before implementing a tiered COLA.