Marlborough Will Give City, School Employees Inflation Pay Bump

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Marlborough municipal and school employees will get a one-time pay bump due to inflation in the larger economy, officials have decided.

Mayor Arthur Vigeant asked the city council to approve the stipends at this week's meeting. The council voted 8 to 2 with one councilor abstaining to approve the stipends.

"As I reflect on the last year, it has been a challenge for employees who are feeling the burden of extra work while department heads are attempting to fill positions quickly in a highly competitive municipal jobs market. Our employees' dedication and effort put forth is greatly appreciated, and this stipend is intended to help offset the rising inflation that we all struggle with," Vigeant wrote in a memo to councilors.

The stipends will cost about $700,000, and will amount to 1 percent of each employee's base salary not including overtime. Any employee who was working as of March 1 and still on the job by April 21 will get the bump.

The money will come from the city's free cash fund, which is the money left over from the previous year's budget that wasn't spent, among other sources. Marlborough had a free cash balance of about $7.5 million as of October, according to the state Department of Local Services.