How Hopewell is run
Who runs Hopewell, 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 Hopewell's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Hopewell
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The council sets policy, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Hopewell city staff
411 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 83, Sewer services 61, Social services 56, Fire and rescue 54, Public works maintenance 43. FY2025. Full-time city positions authorized in the budget. School staff are not included. City of Hopewell · Apr 30, 2026
The audited report lists full-time positions by function. No list of individual salaries is posted. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Hopewell 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: $34.4M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: The city keeps unassigned general fund balance of at least 20% of budgeted general fund spending. For FY2025 that minimum was $10.9 million. The city meets this target. City of Hopewell · Apr 30, 2026
Bar: unassigned savings of $34.4M. Line: the amount the city's target calls for.
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$48.5M · 67%
- State aid$9.9M · 14%
- Other local taxes$7.3M · 10%
- Licenses, permits and fees$1.7M · 2%
- Fines and forfeitures$1.4M · 2%
- Payments in lieu of taxes$1.3M · 2%
- Cost recovery from social services, solid waste and sewer funds$1.8M · 2%
- Other (use of money and other local revenue)$328,510 · 0%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Transfers to other funds, including $13.6 million for the schools$20.6M · 29%
- Police$12.1M · 17%
- Fire$8.2M · 11%
- Public works$6.7M · 9%
- Regional jail$2.8M · 4%
- Sheriff$2.5M · 4%
- Finance$2.4M · 3%
- Other (administration, courts, IT, constitutional officers, outside agencies, other)$17M · 24%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Hopewell is an independent city, so there is no county property tax. The city funds its share of the schools from the general fund. The rate stays at $1.17 for 2027.
100¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Hopewell
- City of Hopewell (including schools)1.17 · 100%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)1.17
Real estate tax rate for a home in the City of Hopewell. Hopewell City Council · Apr 28, 2026
See what a Hopewell home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Hopewell is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityHopewell Police DepartmentCity of Hopewell · Apr 30, 2026
- Fire and EMSThe cityHopewell Fire & RescueCity of Hopewell · Apr 30, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity sewer system and Hopewell Water Renewal treatment plantCity of Hopewell · May 27, 2025
- LibraryAnother agencyAppomattox Regional LibraryA joint venture with Dinwiddie and Prince George counties.City of Hopewell · Apr 30, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity Recreation & ParksHopewell City Council · Jun 9, 2026
- JailAnother agencyRiverside Regional Jail AuthorityA joint venture of Hopewell and six other localities.City of Hopewell · Apr 30, 2026
- ElectricityPrivate companyDominion EnergyCity of Hopewell
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 | HopewellVA | WaynesboroVA | HerndonVA | SalemVA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 23,261 | 23,951 | 25,506 | 25,816 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $195,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $12,000 |
| General fund per resident | $3,103 | $3,231 | $1,919 | $4,616 |
| Debt per resident | $2,287 | $1,923 | $616 | $2,928 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $541 | $525 | $15 | $1,573 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 17.7 | 14.9 | 11.1 | 20.0 |
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). Herndon pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Hopewell publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Audited financial report filed on timeThe FY2025 audit report is dated April 30, 2026, ten months after the year ended. Auditors found a material weakness in financial reporting. City of Hopewell · Apr 30, 2026
- Partly: Adopted budget posted onlineThe budget page posts the FY2026 adopted budget and the FY2027 proposed budget. The FY2027 budget resolution is in a council agenda packet. City of Hopewell
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no posted contract or salary for City Manager Vincent Jones on the city manager or budget pages. City of Hopewell
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list each member's roll call vote, for example at the April 14, 2026 meeting. Hopewell City Council · Apr 14, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentThe FY2027 budget shows $85,000 in council salaries and wages in total, but not the pay per member. City of Hopewell · May 7, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget describes a class and compensation study but posts no salary list. City of Hopewell · May 7, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2025 audit report is dated April 30, 2026, and auditors found a material weakness in financial reporting. What is the plan to finish audits sooner?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $34.4 million at June 30, 2025, against a $10.9 million minimum. How does the council plan to use the amount above the minimum?
- Police, at $12.1 million, is the largest department in the $72.2 million general fund budget for FY2026-27. How are police staffing levels set?
- The city carries $53.2 million in bonds. How much of the FY2026-27 budget goes to debt service?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The proposed FY2026-27 budget is dated March 24, 2026. Council held a public hearing on tax rates on April 28, 2026 and adopted the budget on its June 9, 2026 consent agenda. See who is running for council
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