The City Council convened Monday night at City Hall for its regularly scheduled meeting. All council members were in attendance.
Under old business, there were discussions to approve the non-union wage scales and benefits for Fiscal Years 2026, 2027, and 2028 as recommended by the Management/Non-Union Negotiation Committee. At the previous meeting, the wage scale recommendation was rejected with a 5-3 vote.
The committee’s proposal includes a starting wage of $65.00 per hour for the City Administrator in 2026, $72.00 per hour in 2027, and $79.00 per hour in 2028. The Public Works Director would earn $62.50 in 2026, $70.00 in 2027, and $77.00 in 2028. All officials would also receive a monthly stipend of $150.00.
Fouraker proposed a one-year contract with the same benefit package as the previous year and suggested re-evaluating wages after the fiscal year audit. He recommended a wage of $55.29 for the Administrator and $53.85 for the Public Works Director. After a lengthy discussion, the Council voted 4-4, with Frank Killingsworth, Kenny Killingsworth, Kaster, and Fouraker voting yes, and Leyden, Buckminster, Ferguson, and Ruiz voting no. The mayor chose not to vote, so the motion failed due to a tie.
Next, Council member Ferguson moved to approve the committee’s original proposal.
The Council voted 5-3 to reject the proposal. Voting against it were Ruiz, F. Killingsworth, K. Killingsworth, Kaster, Fouraker.
On Tuesday afternoon, an agenda was sent out for a special meeting tomorrow night, Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. to discuss non-union wage scales. The meeting is open to the public.
