Staff report

Residents can give city lawmakers their two cents on City Manager R. Steven Herbert’s proposed $277 million budget tonight.

A public hearing on the budget is slated for the Suffolk City Council meeting at 7 p.m. in the Municipal Building, 441 Market St.

Herbert’s budget earmarks $36 million for education, including $4.9 million for the operating and staffing of the new King’s Fork High School.

Other budget highlights include the hiring of four additional police officers and an average 3.5 percent merit pay raise for all city employees.

Herbert is proposing that the tax rate remain at its current level of $1.08 per $100 of assessed property value. However, council members last month asked city staff to evaluate the impact of a 3 cent tax reduction on the budget.