Amherst City Council moved a slate of pay ordinances to a second reading on Monday, November 10, 2025, while also setting the stage for new union contracts and the 2026 interim budget.
Meeting in regular session at 7 p.m., council approved the consent agenda and then introduced ten pay-related ordinances on first reading. The measures cover salaries and employment conditions for the city auditor and treasurer, non-bargaining employees, the Office of Aging, the permanent part-time payroll/clerk/budget assistant, the superintendent of utilities and Water Pollution Control Center and the supervisors of electric, sewer, street water and Water Pollution Control Center, the Tax Assistant I position, the fire chief, the police chief and lieutenant, and the full-time civilian administrator in the police department. Each ordinance advanced to its second reading on a unanimous 7–0 vote.
Mayor Costilow spent additional time on the ordinance for the fire chief, explaining that a restructuring of the position would have left the chief losing about $97 a month in longevity pay after 28 years of service. Council approved an amendment adding a special section to keep the chief whole before moving the ordinance to its second reading as amended.
Council also set up a full Finance Committee agenda for November 17. Items headed to committee include a 2026–2028 collective bargaining agreement with AFSCME, new contracts for police patrol officers and sergeants and for full-time and part-time dispatchers, an ordinance covering pay for the fire department as a whole, and the city’s 2026 interim budget. The remaining committee meetings scheduled for that night were canceled.
During reports, Auditor Phillips noted that October auditor reports are complete and that the city’s next audit will be performed directly by the State Auditor’s Office as part of a periodic review. Deputy Treasurer Woods reported that October treasurer figures have also been distributed. Mayor Costilow added that leaf pickup is continuing on the south side of the tracks this week and announced that Westwater Treatment Plant Superintendent Alan Brailer will retire at the beginning of the year, with Civil Service meetings already underway to begin the replacement process.
Councilman Brian Dembinski closed the meeting by reminding residents that, for the fourth year, the city is partnering with the police department to collect Toys for Tots. New, unwrapped toys can be dropped off in the police department lobby 24 hours a day, with pickup scheduled for Friday, December 12. The meeting adjourned at 7:23 p.m.