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HB810 • 2026

Newport News, City of; amending charter, relating to city council.

<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend and reenact § 4.01, as amended, of Chapter 576 of the Acts of Assembly of 1978, which provided a charter for the City of Newport News, relating to city council; compensation.</p>

Labor
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Downey
Last action
2026-02-18
Official status
Failed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific details about the process or timeline for meetings, leaving this information open-ended.

Newport News City Council Compensation Rules

This bill amends the charter for Newport News by requiring the establishment of a citizen compensation committee that reviews and recommends salaries for city council members before any salary increases are approved.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the establishment of a five-person citizen compensation committee to review and recommend salaries for city council members.
  • Specifies that the committee must include one former elected official, one person with substantial local government experience, one human resources or executive compensation specialist, and two at-large citizens of the city.
  • Excludes current city officers, employees, or those from related political subdivisions from serving on the committee.
  • Designates a staff liaison to assist the committee with research and meeting coordination.

Who It Names or Affects

  • City council members in Newport News
  • Citizens of Newport News who are appointed to the new compensation committee

Terms To Know

Charter
A city's basic governing document that outlines how it is run.
Compensation Committee
A group of people appointed to review and recommend salary levels for certain positions within an organization.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify the exact process or timeline for how often the committee will meet.
  • It is unclear what happens if the city council disagrees with the recommendations from the compensation committee.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HB810AHC1

2026-01-30

Counties, Cities and Towns Amendment

Plain English: The amendment changes how the city council's compensation committee is formed and operates.

  • Adds new rules for appointing five members to the compensation committee, including specific roles like former elected official, local government expert, HR or executive compensation specialist, and two at-large citizens.
  • Specifies that no current city employees can be on the committee.
  • Includes a requirement for a staff liaison from the city manager's office to assist the committee.
  • Details how the committee will elect its chair and meet until it completes its task of recommending compensation changes.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if the committee cannot reach a recommendation.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-18 House

    Left in Committee Counties, Cities and Towns

  2. 2026-01-30 Subcommittee #1

    House subcommittee offered

  3. 2026-01-30 Subcommittee #1

    Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (6-Y 1-N)

  4. 2026-01-28 Subcommittee #1

    Assigned HCCT sub: Subcommittee #1

  5. 2026-01-13 House

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103642D

  6. 2026-01-13 Counties, Cities and Towns

    Referred to Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns

Official Summary Text

Charter; City of Newport News.
Amends the charter for the City of Newport News by requiring the establishment of a citizen compensation committee that shall perform a detailed analysis and provide salary recommendations for members of city council prior to the city council approving any salary increase.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB 810

SUBCOMMITTEE

1. Line 22, introduced, after
committee.

insert

The committee shall consist of five persons appointed by the council for a term commencing upon appointment and expiring when a final written recommendation has been submitted to the council. The committee shall include one former elected official, one person with substantial experience in local government, based on either practical experience or academic research, one person with experience in human resources, executive compensation design, employee benefits, or senior management, and two at-large members who are citizens of the city. No officer or employee of the city or of any authority or other political subdivision operating in the city shall be eligible for appointment to the committee. A staff liaison will be designated by the city manager to provide research, coordinate meetings, and ensure that public records are maintained. The committee shall elect a chair and shall meet on an as-needed basis at the call of the chair or such regular schedule as the committee adopts. Meetings shall be held until the committee has fulfilled its purpose of providing a written recommendation to the council.