Whately Personnel Committee Approves 2.5 Percent COLA Recommendation for FY2027

WHATELY -- March 24, 2026, Whately Personnel Committee unanimously recommends a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment for town employees in fiscal year 2027. The four-member committee voted 4-0 at its March 24 meeting to approve the annual recommendation letter to the Finance Committee, down from the 4 percent COLA approved for FY2026, which also included right-sizing adjustments under the town's new classification and compensation plan. The letter documents that Whately's cumulative five-year pay growth reached 29.1 percent, in line with major inflation indices over the same period. Members identified a fiscal-year labeling discrepancy in a supporting data table and authorized corrections before submission, including adding a sentence confirming the 29.1 percent figure "is in line with the overall CPI and various indices comparing over the past five years." The committee also dropped a proposed overtime policy amendment after learning existing policy already guarantees time-and-a-half for employees called back for emergency winter clearing, regardless of weekly hours worked.