The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly meets Monday, and one of the items on the agenda is a resolution that calls for no cost-of-living salary increases this year.
The borough’s FY17 budget is scheduled to be introduced on May 2, and that budget includes an overall 1.5-percent increase in personnel costs. However, that covers only the regular step increases, which are salary adjustments based on years of service.
Citing reduced funding from the state, Borough Manager Dan Bockhorst recommends that the Assembly approve the resolution. If it passes, this would be the second year in a row that the borough has not provided a COLA.
Bockhorst writes in a memo to the Assembly that inflation in Alaska has been minimal in the past year. He says recent data indicates an increase of only one-half percent.
The only employees that would not be affected by the resolution are those who are represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Their contract requires at least a 1.5 percent COLA in addition to step increases.
Also Monday, the Assembly will consider two ordinances that address how the borough funds local schools. The first focuses on contracted services, and the second dedicates property tax and Secure Rural Schools funding for public education.
The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. in Borough Assembly chambers. Public comment will be heard at the start of the meeting.
