Salary Schedule

How does the City of Sandy (COS) determine yearly COLA’s (cost of living adjustment)?

• COS uses the Consumer Price Index (CPI), specifically, the CPI-U West-Size Class B/C, which reflects the buying habits of all urban households in cities less than 2,500,000 in western states.
• COS begins drafting the biennial (two year) budget in the winter and uses the CPI trend at that time as an estimate for what the July COLA may be.
• Once the January CPI figure is finalized, the City uses that to help determine the actual COLA for the upcoming fiscal year. Certain circumstances, such as budgetary constraints, benefits, PERS, and other economic situations may impact the COLA for any given fiscal year.
• Additional information regarding the CPI can be found on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, https://www.bls.gov/.