How Danville is run
Who runs Danville, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Danville's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Danville
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day, oversees operations and appoints department heads. The nine council members, elected at large, pass ordinances, adopt the budget and choose the mayor from among themselves.
What they are paid
Danville city staff
1,251 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 243, Public works 191, Fire 147, Utilities 133, Social services 110. FY2026-27 (adopted budget; authorized full-time positions, including 144 in constitutional offices). City of Danville, Virginia · Jun 16, 2026
The budget lists authorized positions by title. The city posts job descriptions but no pay scale; a local newspaper publishes city salaries each year. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Danville in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $54.1M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Unassigned general fund balance must be at least 25% of operating revenues. The audited report says unassigned balance equaled 37% of FY2025 general fund spending. City of Danville, Virginia · Feb 13, 2026
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Comes from
- General property taxes$51.9M · 27%
- Other local taxes (meals, sales, business license, lodging and others)$42.6M · 22%
- Local casino taxes$37.7M · 19%
- State aid$23.2M · 12%
- Transfers in from city utilities$15.7M · 8%
- Recovered costs$11M · 6%
- Transfer from fund balance$5.3M · 3%
- Other (charges for services, interest, licenses, fines)$6.8M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Transfers and support (schools, capital projects, utilities, grants)$60.5M · 31%
- Public safety$49.7M · 26%
- General government$18.7M · 10%
- Non-departmental$16.1M · 8%
- Health and welfare$10.9M · 6%
- Judicial administration$10.4M · 5%
- Other (economic development, parks, public works, outside agencies)$27.8M · 14%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Danville is an independent city, so there is no county property tax. The city funds its share of the schools from the general fund.
100¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Danville
- City of Danville (including schools)0.83 · 100%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)0.83
FY2026-27 real estate tax rate for a home in the City of Danville. Danville City Council · Jun 2, 2026
See what a Danville house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Danville is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityDanville Police DepartmentCity of Danville, Virginia · Feb 13, 2026
- FireThe cityDanville Fire DepartmentCity of Danville, Virginia · Feb 13, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityEmergency Communications Center (Danville Fire Department)City of Danville, Virginia · Jun 16, 2026
- Water and wastewaterThe cityDanville UtilitiesCity of Danville, Virginia · Feb 13, 2026
- Public transitThe cityCity transit serviceCity of Danville, Virginia · Feb 13, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of DanvilleCity of Danville, Virginia · Feb 13, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityDanville Parks and RecreationCity of Danville, Virginia · Feb 13, 2026
- LibraryThe cityRuby B. Archie Public Library (Parks and Recreation)City of Danville, Virginia · Jun 16, 2026
- Public schoolsSeparate districtDanville Public SchoolsGoverned separately but fiscally dependent on the city.City of Danville, Virginia · Feb 13, 2026
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | PetersburgVA | DanvilleVA | ManassasVA | HarrisonburgVA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 33,734 | 41,647 | 44,332 | 50,839 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $256,404 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $34,000 | $18,000 | $18,000 |
| General fund per resident | $3,551 | $4,662 | $4,181 | $3,440 |
| Debt per resident | $3,960 | $6,257 | $4,036 | $4,067 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $144 | $-48 | $713 | $451 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 20.5 | 30.0 | 12.6 | 15.3 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how).
What Danville publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2027 adopted budget is posted by section on the city's budget page. City of Danville, Virginia
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no contract on the city's transparency page or budget pages. City of Danville, Virginia
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineApproved council minutes list each member voting aye or nay on every motion. Danville City Council · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe adopted budget states $34,000 a year for each council member and $37,000 for the mayor. City of Danville, Virginia · Jun 16, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe city posts job descriptions but no pay scale. A local newspaper publishes city salaries each year. City of Danville, Virginia
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2027 general fund budget of $194.2 million counts on $37.7 million in local casino taxes. How would the city cover a drop in casino revenue?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $54.1 million at June 30, 2025, against a rule of at least 25% of operating revenues. How much will remain after the $5.34 million drawn in FY2027?
- Debt without leases totaled $260.6 million at June 30, 2025. What new borrowing is planned in the next few years?
- The general fund moved $27.3 million out in FY2025, much of it for economic development incentives. How does the council measure what those incentives return?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager presented the FY2027 proposed budget in March 2026. The council released its introductory budget on April 30, 2026, held the budget public hearing on June 2, 2026, and adopted the budget on June 16, 2026. See who is running for council
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