FARMINGTON — All nonunion town employees will get a cost-of-living adjustment of 45 cents per hour, starting next year, the Select Board decided Tuesday.

The board unanimously opted for a flat figure instead of a percentage increase as part of its 2026 budget planning.

Town Manager Erica LaCroix said the change aligns with the state’s upcoming minimum wage increase.

“We will have an increase to the minimum wage of 45 cents an hour on Jan. 1; that equates to a three percent increase,” she said. “So what I’m proposing is three percent to our very bottom wage, which is 45 cents, and that being the goal this year.”

Under the new plan, every position and step in the town’s nonunion compensation schedule will receive the same 45-cent increase effective April 1, 2026.

“Everybody gets the same increase,” LaCroix said. “It is still a cost-of-living increase; it’s just not a percentage.”

LaCroix clarified that the adjustment applies to the town’s wage scale, not to individual employee pay rates. Farmington’s lowest wage is a minimum-wage position, which by law will increase by 3%, or 45 cents per hour, on Jan. 1, 2026. The same 45-cent increase will then be added to all classifications and steps across the nonunion compensation plan.

She added that a few employees will not receive the full 45-cent increase because their wages are already slightly above scale following the 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment implemented for the 2025 budget. When the new scales were adopted last year, LaCroix said each employee received a letter with their updated rate, and those slightly over scale were informed that future adjustments would match the posted pay schedule.

LaCroix said the flat figure will guide 2026 budget preparations and serve as the baseline for future wage discussions. The town’s police union contract expires March 31, 2026, and negotiations will begin soon to determine new rates starting April 1.

Beyond compensation, LaCroix said she is already working with department heads to shape the next budget cycle while attending municipal meetings around the state. Those efforts, she said, help ensure Farmington remains a reliable employer and that residents continue to receive essential town services from a supported, well-trained staff.

By planning early, town officials said the change will help keep the town’s budget process predictable and helping the town maintain stability and a dependable workforce.