NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The city of Newport News is looking to add public safety positions in its budget, including 20 new firefighter positions and eight new police officer positions.
The city manager's proposed $1.3 billion operating budget includes the new investments in public safety. The Newport News City Council is getting ready to weigh in on the proposal, and Mayor Phillip Jones says he supports adding the positions.
"We're really doubling down on public safety here in Newport News," Jones said.
The proposal calls for 16 new firefighter-medic positions and four new lieutenant positions. The increased staffing would meet national staffing standards and reduce mandatory overtime for current firefighters.
"I know for a long time we've been underfunded in the fire department, not only in the fire stations and in personnel, but the most important thing is we're going to increase the amount in our step plan, which is the salary and the benefits," Jones said.
"When I travel around to the different fire stations I hear, 'Hey, can we have higher pay, higher benefits?' We're doing that here in this budget," Jones said.
In addition to the fire department, the proposal says eight new police officer positions would help provide adequate coverage across the city.
"I think it's one of the most important things. A strong city has strong public safety; that's the foundation of any great city," Jones said.
During his State of the City address on Monday, Jones says he plans to announce four fire stations will be new or improved over the next few years.
"Newport News is a growing city and we're a long and skinny city, so in order to have those low response times, we're going to make sure we have adequate staffing across the city," Jones said.
In February, city leaders broke ground on a new fire station set to help serve the northern part of the city.
Community members will be able to weigh in on the proposal next week.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
