How Portsmouth is run
Who runs Portsmouth, 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 Portsmouth's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Portsmouth
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
Portsmouth city staff
1,689 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public safety (general fund) 404, Parks, recreation and cultural services 237, Judicial administration 219, General government 205, Social Services 154. FY2024-25. City of Portsmouth · Jul 24, 2026
The budget shows salary totals by department. We found no published list of individual employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Portsmouth 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: $134M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance equal to at least 15% of general fund revenues. The FY2027 budget puts that requirement at $54,106,003. The city meets this target. City of Portsmouth · Jul 24, 2026
Bar: unassigned savings of $134M. 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
- Real property taxes$143M · 40%
- Other local taxes (sales, meals, lodging, business license and others)$46.7M · 13%
- Personal property taxes$38.4M · 11%
- State non-categorical aid$30.3M · 8%
- State categorical aid$29M · 8%
- Utility taxes$14.9M · 4%
- Fund balance (one-time draw on reserves)$13.8M · 4%
- State shared expenses$11.8M · 3%
- Other$32.6M · 9%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety (police, fire, rescue and E-911)$95.3M · 26%
- Contribution to Portsmouth Public Schools$89.9M · 25%
- Non-departmental$54.5M · 15%
- Judicial (courts, sheriff and jail, prosecutor)$29.3M · 8%
- Parks, recreation and cultural$20.1M · 6%
- Public works$18.9M · 5%
- General services$12.4M · 3%
- Other$40.3M · 11%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Portsmouth is an independent city with sole local taxing power within its boundaries, so there are no county or school district taxes.
100¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Portsmouth
- City of Portsmouth1.24 · 100%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)1.24
FY2026-27 real estate tax rate for a property in Portsmouth (an independent city). City of Portsmouth · May 12, 2026
See what a Portsmouth home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Portsmouth is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityPortsmouth Police DepartmentCity of Portsmouth · May 12, 2026
- FireThe cityPortsmouth Fire, Rescue and Emergency ServicesCity of Portsmouth · May 12, 2026
- Emergency medical servicesThe cityPortsmouth Fire, Rescue and Emergency ServicesCity of Portsmouth · May 12, 2026
- WaterThe cityPortsmouth Public UtilitiesCity of Portsmouth · May 12, 2026
- SewerThe cityPortsmouth Public UtilitiesCity of Portsmouth · May 12, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity of PortsmouthCity of Portsmouth · May 12, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of PortsmouthCity of Portsmouth · May 12, 2026
- LibrariesThe cityPortsmouth Public LibraryCity of Portsmouth · May 12, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of PortsmouthCity of Portsmouth · May 12, 2026
- SchoolsSeparate districtPortsmouth Public Schools (elected nine-member School Board, funded through the city)City of Portsmouth · May 12, 2026
- Public transitAnother agencyHampton Roads Transit (bus, ferry to Norfolk)City of Portsmouth · May 12, 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 | LynchburgVA | PortsmouthVA | RoanokeVA | SuffolkVA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 81,347 | 96,777 | 99,111 | 104,699 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $255,000 | Not confirmed | $245,000 |
| Council member pay | $10,000 | $43,000 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $3,171 | $3,728 | $4,253 | $3,407 |
| Debt per resident | $4,475 | $4,873 | $3,489 | $5,908 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,134 | $942 | $2,419 | $438 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 17.9 | 17.5 | 18.3 | 15.6 |
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 Portsmouth publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Portsmouth · May 12, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no posted employment agreement. News reports give the $255,000 starting salary from the council's 2024 motion. WTKR News 3 · Mar 18, 2024
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineThe council agenda with actions taken lists each item's result and the ayes and nays on motions by name. City of Portsmouth · Oct 28, 2025
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document WTKR News 3 · Jun 12, 2024
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2025 audit was signed July 24, 2026, more than a year after the June 30, 2025 year end. What is the city doing to file the FY2026 audit on time?
- Portsmouth Public Schools receives $89.9M of the $360.8M general fund in FY2026-27. How is the city's share for schools set each year?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The City Manager presented the proposed FY2027 budget on March 23, 2026. Council held public hearings on April 14 and April 28, 2026 and adopted the budget on May 12, 2026. See who is running for council
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