HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – Cities across Hampton Roads have adopted budgets for Fiscal Year 2023. The votes will mean pay raises for thousands of workers.
The budget approval will mean a 5% wage increase for all employees of the City of Norfolk, which is the largest of its kind in more than 20 years.
In Norfolk, all sworn employees, including those with the Norfolk Police Department; the Norfolk Fire Department; and the Norfolk Sheriff's Office, will receive a 5% pay increase. This comes as departments locally and nationally struggle to hire and retain law enforcement officers.
The changes will take effect on July 2.
In Virginia Beach, city leaders voted to spend more than $32 million to provide the city’s largest overall pay increase in 20 years.
Council members approved a pay plan system to include a citywide $15 per hour minimum wage as well as a step pay plan for public safety employees. A step pay plan means an employee's pay would be based on their years of service. That will apply to 80% of the workforce.
This will apply to departments citywide, with notable departments impacted by this step plan being the Virginia Beach Police Department, the Virginia Beach Fire Department, Public Utilities and the Department of Public Works.
According to Kevin Chatellier, Director of Budget for the City of Virginia Beach, the goal is to have that increase in place on July 1; however, he says as the Human Resources Department works out the details of implementing the increase, if it is not already in place by then, the pay would be retroactive dating back to July 1.
