How Roanoke is run
Who runs Roanoke, 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 Roanoke's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Roanoke
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
Roanoke city staff
1,816 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 339, Fire-EMS 278, Social services 241, Sheriff's office 215, General services 142. FY2027 budget. City of Roanoke · Jun 22, 2026
The budget lists staffing (FTE) by department and the council adopts a pay plan with the budget; we found no published pay list by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Roanoke 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.
The city's own outlook
The city's five-year plan expects spending to grow faster than revenue, with yearly structural gaps of about $6.7 million in FY2027 rising to nearly $14 million by FY2031. To keep debt affordable, the city removed $50.4 million of programmed projects from its FY2027-2031 capital plan. City of Roanoke · Jun 22, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $68.1M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: The city's target is unassigned general fund balance of at least 12% of the expenditure budget. A separate stabilization reserve, $13.2 million at June 30, 2025, has a floor of 3% of general fund expenditures. City of Roanoke · Aug 14, 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$191M · 45%
- Other local taxes$101M · 24%
- State and federal aid$101M · 24%
- Charges for services$21.4M · 5%
- Use of money and property$3.2M · 1%
- Permits, fees and licenses$2.2M · 1%
- Other (fines, other revenue)$1.5M · 0%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Non-departmental (mostly transfers to other funds)$140M · 33%
- Public safety$99.2M · 24%
- Health and human services$63.8M · 15%
- Public works$42.2M · 10%
- General government$36.3M · 9%
- Parks, recreation and cultural$14.8M · 4%
- Other (judicial administration, community development)$25.1M · 6%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Roanoke is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityRoanoke Police DepartmentCity of Roanoke · Jun 22, 2026
- Fire and EMSThe cityRoanoke Fire-EMS DepartmentCity of Roanoke · Jun 22, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityCity E911 Center (Police Department)City of Roanoke · Jun 22, 2026
- Trash and recycling collectionThe cityCity Public WorksCity of Roanoke · Jun 22, 2026
- SchoolsSeparate districtSchool Board of the City of RoanokeSchool Board members are appointed by City Council.City of Roanoke · Aug 14, 2026
- LibraryThe cityCity Library DepartmentCity of Roanoke · Jun 22, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity Public WorksCity of Roanoke · Jun 22, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity Stormwater UtilityCity of Roanoke · Jun 22, 2026
- BusesAnother agencyValley Metro (Greater Roanoke Transit Company)A nonprofit wholly owned by the City of Roanoke.City of Roanoke · Aug 14, 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 Roanoke 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 document is posted on the city's Budget Development page. City of Roanoke
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe city manager's page gives her January 2025 appointment but no contract or salary. City of Roanoke
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Roanoke
Questions to ask your council
- The five-year plan projects structural gaps of about $6.7 million in FY2027 rising to nearly $14 million by FY2031. Which revenue or spending changes are planned to close them?
- The FY2025 audit report is dated August 14, 2026. When will the FY2026 audit be published?
- The City of Roanoke Pension Plan was 63.94% funded, and the city's share of its net pension liability was $239.7 million. What is the plan to raise the funded ratio?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $68.1 million at June 30, 2025, against a 12% target. How much above the target does the council intend to keep?
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