NORFOLK, VA – Norfolk City Council has approved the City’s $1.5 billion budget.
Development of the City’s FY 2022 financial plan took place during a period of unprecedented public health and economic uncertainty. While this budget begins Norfolk’s recovery, city revenues remain significantly below pre-COVID projections. Despite these challenges, the budget makes major investments in City Council’s priorities and begins rebuilding capacity for effective delivery of important services. Highlights include:
- Support for Norfolk Public Schools with an $8.6 million funding increase that helped boost starting pay and provide a five percent raise for teachers.
- Attraction and retention of the best possible city workforce with a pay increase for employees and additional compensation for Police Officers, Sheriff’s Deputies, 911 Telecommunicators, and some Firefighters.
- Restoring Recreation and Library operations by reopening most facilities that were closed during the pandemic.
- Support for our Youth with funding for summer youth programming and resources to resume the Norfolk Emerging Leaders (NEL) program next spring and summer.
- Citywide Beautification with increased funds for street maintenance, median beautification, and median fencing and the creation of a new robust litter removal program.
- Affordable Housing and Community Development with the creation of the new Department of Housing and Community Development to focus on developing strong, healthy, and vibrant neighborhoods, creating and preserving affordable housing, and promoting stable homeownership.
- Streamlined Development Services through the creation of a Business Concierge position along with increased capacity in the zoning and comprehensive planning programs.
- Coastal Resilience with capital investments of $42.3 million in FY 2022 and $117 million over the next five years.
This year’s budget also represents a renovation of the budget itself, in which staff worked to develop a document that clearly communicates the programs offered as well as the resources it takes to provide the service. This approach allows residents more easily to see how the city invests in objectives such as resilience, learning and enrichment, and community safety.
For more information on the budget, visit the Budget Department’s webpage on www.norfolk.gov. Find City Council meetings to view there or on the City of Norfolk’s YouTube channel.