Norfolk approves additional fiscal 2027 pay increases
Norfolk City Council approved additional fiscal 2027 salary increases for eligible city employees and employees of several constitutional offices during its July 14, 2026, meeting.
The council adopted Ordinance No. 50,449, which amends the city’s fiscal 2027 compensation plan, previously established under Ordinance No. 50,415. Depending on an employee’s classification, the amended plan provides total fiscal 2027 increases of 3.5% or 4.0%.
The changes apply to specified full-time employees rather than every Norfolk employee. The affected workforce includes eligible employees of the city and of the offices of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Commissioner of the Revenue, Commonwealth’s Attorney and Treasurer.
When the increases take effect
Some employees receive a 2.5% general wage increase effective July 1, 2026, the first day of the city’s fiscal 2027 budget year. Other employees listed in the ordinance receive an increase effective Aug. 1, 2026, bringing their total fiscal 2027 increase to either 3.5% or 4.0%, depending on classification.
The fiscal year runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. That means the approved changes are tied to the same fiscal year as Norfolk’s annual operating budget.
The ordinance also addresses employees whose pay falls below the minimum of a new pay grade. Those employees are to be raised to the new minimum effective July 1, 2026.
Positions and pay grades affected
Among the position-specific changes, the ordinance changes the grade and salary range for the Case Manager IV position. It also marks Payroll Specialist I, Payroll Specialist II and Payroll Specialist III positions as eligible for automatic reclassification.
Those provisions adjust how certain positions fit within the city’s compensation structure, in addition to the percentage increases listed for eligible employees. The ordinance’s changes therefore include both general wage adjustments and changes to pay-grade placement for specific jobs.
Norfolk Human Resources is among the city entities identified in connection with the compensation plan. The plan also reaches employees working in constitutional offices, which operate separately from some city departments but are included in the action for the positions specified by the council.
What the action means for the city workforce
For eligible employees, the ordinance establishes higher fiscal 2027 compensation beginning July 1 or Aug. 1, depending on the provision that applies to their classification. Employees affected by a new pay-grade minimum will be brought up to that minimum on July 1.
The broader fiscal 2027 operating budget covers the city’s personnel and departmental appropriations, including funding connected to Norfolk Police, Fire-Rescue, Public Works, Transportation and schools. The compensation-plan amendment changes salary terms for specified employees within that fiscal framework.
The ordinance does not state how many employees will receive each increase. It also does not provide an aggregate fiscal cost for the amendment. The approved action establishes the compensation changes, but the public ordinance does not identify a total payroll amount associated with them.
With the council’s July 14 action, the next known implementation dates are July 1, 2026, for the general wage increase and new pay-grade minimums, and Aug. 1, 2026, for the additional increases affecting other listed classifications.
Sources
- Norfolk Fiscal Year 2027 Annual Operating Budget Ordinance, City of Norfolk
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