Newport News votes to nearly double mayor, council members’ salaries

Newport News City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday night to nearly double its annual salaries.

The mayor currently is paid $27,000 a year, and the other council members get $25,000 a year. Those salaries were set in 2002 and have not increased since.

The council’s vote will increase the mayor’s salary to $51,000 a year and the other council members’ salaries to $47,000, which is the maximum amount allowed for commonwealth cities with a population between 175,000 and 259,999. The new salaries will go into effect July 1, 2025.

Mayor Phillip Jones was the sole vote against the increase. He did not explain his reasoning during the meeting, and he did not return requests for comment after.

During a public hearing on the matter, two speakers voiced support for increasing council members’ salaries. Two others said they did not oppose the increase but urged the council to table the matter to get more input from the city’s residents.

City council candidate Stephen Ferguson said in the meeting he wanted the council to either oppose or table the proposal, saying that doing so would demonstrate the council is being mindful of the impact of tax rates on the city’s residents.

Legislation passed by the General Assembly this year increased the maximum allowable salaries for mayors and members of city councils. The legislation created new salary caps based on population and nearly doubled the maximum amount local elected officials can earn if cities vote to increase pay.

Both Hampton and Portsmouth city councils voted last month to increase their council members’ salaries.

Mayors in those cities said a pay increase would help fairly compensate the council, considering the long hours put into the job, often on top of full-time employment elsewhere. Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck also said increased salaries might encourage younger people to run for office, noting that due to the amount of time the job can take, it can be difficult for people who are employed to run for council.

A city spokesperson last week did not provide details on why the raise was considered, saying only, “The Council is continuously reviewing the state-approved legislation alongside the city-wide compensation study.”

Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com