NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — After weeks of back and forth, Newport News city leaders are now considering a budget proposal that would bring a significant pay raise for many of the city's first responders.
Dozens of supporters filed into recent city council meetings and work sessions to show their support for a 5% raise for the city's firefighters, police officers, deputies and other sworn public safety employees.
"Our compensation has not kept up with the cost of living or the real estate prices, and our employees cannot afford to live in the city they work for," said Adrian Manning, president of the Newport News chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
If approved, the pay increase is expected to cost the city millions of dollars.
Initially, city leaders set aside $2.6 million for an overall pay increase, but the new proposal calls for approximately $5.1 million. To fund the additional cost, the city will likely consider reducing its contribution to the proposed Capital Improvement Plan projects for FY 2025.
"We have to balance how we ensure our public servants — our firefighters, our police officers — are fairly compensated, and we have to take a look to see how we are moving the city forward," said Mayor Phillip Jones.
City Budget Director Lisa Cipriano introduced the budget changes in a recent work session. She said the pay increases would ultimately follow a "step plan," meaning that after the initial 5% boost, raises would be based on a person's seniority and could be higher or lower depending on a person's position and years of experience.
However, Cipriano pointed out that a drawback of the plan is that it doesn't include a way to reward performance beyond a certain increment.
The city is conducting a compensation study to ensure the changes would make Newport News competitive as local government employer in Hampton Roads.
While several city council members have appeared to express support, it's unclear if city leaders will adopt the proposal. It would have to be approved as part of council’s vote on the entire city budget.