How Martinsville is run
Who runs Martinsville, 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 Martinsville's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Martinsville
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
Martinsville city staff
329 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2025-26 (adopted budget, full-time positions, excluding schools). City of Martinsville · Jun 6, 2025
The city posts a salary list with the hourly rate and annual pay of each position by job title, without names. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Martinsville 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: $12.2M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: The city's policy calls for unassigned general fund balance of 60 days of general fund operating costs, building to a target of 90 days, with $1 million budgeted each year toward it. City of Martinsville · Jun 1, 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
- Property taxes$12.2M · 32%
- State aid for shared expenses$5.2M · 13%
- Meals tax$3.2M · 8%
- Local sales tax$2.7M · 7%
- Transfers from other city funds$2.5M · 6%
- Business license tax$2.3M · 6%
- Other state categorical aid$1.5M · 4%
- Utility payments in lieu of taxes$1.3M · 3%
- Other (other local taxes, fees, interest, rents, federal aid)$7.6M · 20%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Transfer to the school operating fund$6.2M · 16%
- Police$5.2M · 13%
- Sheriff: jail (corrections)$4.5M · 12%
- Fire$2.9M · 8%
- Contributions to outside agencies$2.6M · 7%
- Transfer to capital reserve fund$1.5M · 4%
- Sheriff: courts$1.5M · 4%
- Children's Services Act$1.3M · 3%
- Other (administration, courts, EMS, public works, parks, development)$12.9M · 33%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Martinsville 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 rose nine cents for FY2027, from $0.7533.
100¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Martinsville
- City of Martinsville (including schools)0.84 · 100%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)0.84
FY2026-27 real estate tax rate for a home in the City of Martinsville. Martinsville City Council · Jun 23, 2026
See what a Martinsville home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Martinsville is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityMartinsville Police DepartmentCity of Martinsville · Jun 1, 2026
- Fire and EMSThe cityMartinsville Fire and EMSCareer and volunteer personnel at two stations.City of Martinsville
- 911 dispatchAnother agencyMartinsville-Henry County 911An independent joint agency of Henry County and the city.City of Martinsville
- ElectricityThe cityMartinsville Electric DepartmentBuys wholesale power from American Municipal Power and runs a hydroelectric dam on the Smith River.City of Martinsville
- Water and sewerThe cityCity Water Resources DepartmentCity of Martinsville
- TrashThe cityCity refuse collectionCity of Martinsville
- StreetsThe cityCity Public Works Street MaintenanceCity of Martinsville
- SchoolsSeparate districtMartinsville City Public SchoolsThe council appoints the School Board.City of Martinsville · Jun 1, 2026
- RecreationContractorMartinsville Henry County YMCAThe city contracts with the YMCA to manage recreation services.City of Martinsville · Jun 1, 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 | MartinsvilleVA | Front RoyalVA | WilliamsburgVA | BristolVA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 13,849 | 15,722 | 15,861 | 16,418 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $172,500 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $185,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not current (2018) |
| General fund per resident | $2,781 | $985 | $3,949 | $5,915 |
| Debt per resident | $1,841 | $2,326 | $2,977 | $9,124 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,607 | $404 | $792 | $972 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 23.8 | 11.2 | 15.6 | 18.4 |
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 Martinsville 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 June 1, 2026, eleven months after the year ended. The FY2027 budget lists the missing audit as a challenge. City of Martinsville · Jun 1, 2026
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Martinsville
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineCouncil minutes record the March 10, 2026 approval of his employment agreement, but we found no posted copy. Martinsville City Council · Mar 10, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes on the city's agenda portal list each member's vote. Martinsville City Council · Jun 23, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineMinutes are on the city's agenda portal, and council meeting videos are on the city's Vimeo page. City of Martinsville
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe posted salary list covers staff positions only, and we found no ordinance or budget page stating council pay. City of Martinsville · Jul 6, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe Transparency page links a salary list with each position's hourly rate and annual pay by job title. City of Martinsville · Jul 6, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2027 budget raises the real estate tax rate from $0.7533 to $0.84 per $100. What would the council need to change to avoid another increase in FY2027-28?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $12.2 million at June 30, 2025. How many days of operating costs is that, against the city's 90-day target?
- The FY2025 audit report is dated June 1, 2026. What is the plan to issue the FY2026 audit sooner?
- The city's Virginia Retirement System plan had a $22.2 million net pension liability and was 81.11% funded at June 30, 2024. What is the plan to raise the funded level?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager presented the FY2027 proposed budget on April 28, 2026. The council held the budget public hearing on May 26, 2026, approved the budget on first reading on June 9 and adopted it on second reading on June 23, 2026. See who is running for council
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