The Wausau Human Resources Committee voted unanimously on Nov. 10 to give non‑represented employees a 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment for 2026. The measure was presented by the HR director, who said Bureau of Labor Statistics data show wages and salaries for civilian workers rose about 3.5% in the 12 months ending March 2025, and state and local government wages rose roughly 4.1% in the same period. "Three percent, I think, is a nice number because ... it's easy to budget," the HR director said.

The HR director framed the adjustment as a way to mitigate turnover and maintain service continuity, noting private‑sector employers in the area — including Greenheck — compete for similar employees. Committee members asked how COLA interacts with merit pay; the HR director explained that some employees receive performance‑based increases while employees at the top of their range generally do not, and that COLA guarantees at least a baseline increase for staff.

During the motion to approve the COLA, the HR director disclosed the fiscal impact as $387,227. Oliver Martens said the 3% COLA had already been incorporated into the 2026 budget and was not an unplanned additional expense. The motion (recorded in the meeting as "motion by Martin") passed by voice vote with unanimous approval; the transcript does not include a roll‑call tally of individual votes.

The committee did not set any additional conditions or amendments to the COLA at the meeting; members noted a policy conversation about moving toward pay‑for‑performance in the future.

The committee recessed that item and then moved to approve the October minutes.