Overview
- The mayor says he will submit an ordinance amendment to lower the previously approved 2028 salary from $285,000 to $225,000 and include 3% annual cost-of-living increases starting in January 2028.
- Koch currently earns $159,141, and the pay change would take effect when the next mayoral term begins in 2028.
- The original 79% raise was approved by the City Council’s finance committee in June 2024 and drew sustained public criticism.
- A citizen petition drive to roll back the raise fell short of the 8,000 signatures required, and organizers have sued in Norfolk Superior Court over hundreds of disqualified signatures.
- The mayor’s office notes that more than 200 city employees earned more than the mayor in 2024, including the police chief at $281,000, fire chief at $250,000, and school superintendent at $251,000.