How Virginia Beach is run
Who runs Virginia Beach, 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 Virginia Beach's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Virginia Beach
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
Virginia Beach city staff
7,649 full-time-equivalent positions, including Human Services 1,182, Police 1,068, Public Works 1,013, Parks and Recreation 891, Fire 591. FY2025. City government positions only. Virginia Beach City Public Schools report another 10,762.3. City of Virginia Beach · Dec 4, 2025
Virginia has no statewide public pay database, and we found no city-published list of pay by position. The budget gives total personnel and benefit costs only. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Virginia Beach 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 manager's budget letter says inflation and slower revenue growth have strained recent budgets. The adopted budget keeps the real estate rate at 97 cents per $100 and projects unassigned general fund balance at 9.99% of FY2026-27 revenues, inside the 8% to 12% policy. The city prepares a five-year forecast each year. City of Virginia Beach · Jul 1, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $178M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance between 8% and 12% of the next year's budgeted revenues, about one month of operating expenses. The city meets this target. City of Virginia Beach · Dec 4, 2025
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 estate tax$760M · 46%
- Personal property tax$216M · 13%
- Commonwealth of Virginia$174M · 11%
- General sales tax$101M · 6%
- Business license tax$71.4M · 4%
- Restaurant meal tax$67.5M · 4%
- Charges for services$64.5M · 4%
- Other (utility, hotel and other local taxes, federal aid, interest, fees and transfers)$186M · 11%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Transfers to other funds (including $559.5M to the school operating fund)$621M · 38%
- Human Services$158M · 10%
- Police$150M · 9%
- Public Works$122M · 7%
- Fire$93.4M · 6%
- Sheriff and Corrections$77M · 5%
- Debt service$60.9M · 4%
- Other departments and reserves$359M · 22%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Virginia cities have no overlapping county or school district taxes. The city's rate also pays for Virginia Beach City Public Schools through the city budget. Some neighborhoods in special service districts pay an added surcharge.
100¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Virginia Beach
- City of Virginia Beach0.97 · 100%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)0.97
FY2026-27 real estate tax rate for a property in Virginia Beach (an independent city). City of Virginia Beach · Jul 1, 2026
See what a Virginia Beach home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Virginia Beach is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityVirginia Beach Police DepartmentCity of Virginia Beach · Dec 4, 2025
- FireThe cityVirginia Beach Fire DepartmentCity of Virginia Beach · Dec 4, 2025
- Emergency medical responseThe cityVirginia Beach Department of Emergency Medical ServicesCity of Virginia Beach · Dec 4, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity Department of Public Utilities (water bought from Norfolk's Moore's Bridges plant)City of Virginia Beach · Jul 1, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity Department of Public Utilities collects sewage; Hampton Roads Sanitation District treats itCity of Virginia Beach · Jul 1, 2026
- Trash collection and disposalThe cityCity of Virginia BeachCity of Virginia Beach · Dec 4, 2025
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Virginia BeachCity of Virginia Beach · Dec 4, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Virginia BeachCity of Virginia Beach · Dec 4, 2025
- Streets and public beachesThe cityCity of Virginia BeachCity of Virginia Beach · Dec 4, 2025
- SchoolsSeparate districtVirginia Beach City Public Schools (elected 11-member School Board, funded through the city)City of Virginia Beach · Dec 4, 2025
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 | Newport NewsVA | NorfolkVA | ChesapeakeVA | Virginia BeachVA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 183,230 | 231,013 | 255,332 | 453,737 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $292,272 | $320,923 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $47,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $3,708 | $5,378 | $3,594 | $3,616 |
| Debt per resident | $2,466 | $5,801 | $2,768 | $3,148 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,245 | $1,035 | $594 | $965 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 41.1 | 22.2 | 15.7 | 16.9 |
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 Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach · Jul 1, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineCouncil records are in the eDocs archive as scanned images. We found no readable copy of the manager's agreement or pay. City of Virginia Beach
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Virginia Beach
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe council page links to live and archived meeting video, and minutes are in the eDocs archive. City of Virginia Beach
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget lists only the Municipal Council total. We found no readable ordinance or schedule stating council or mayor pay. City of Virginia Beach · Jul 1, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget gives total personnel and benefit costs only. We found no pay-by-position list on the city's website. City of Virginia Beach · Jul 1, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund balance was $178.4 million on June 30, 2025, against a policy of 8% to 12% of next-year revenues. The FY2026-27 budget projects 9.99%. What will the city draw on, and how close to the 8% floor could it go?
- The general fund transfers $620.8 million to other funds in FY2026-27, mostly to the school operating fund. How is the school share set under the City/School Revenue Sharing Policy?
- General fund debt service is budgeted at $60.9 million in FY2026-27, and debt stood at $1.43 billion on June 30, 2025. Which projects drive the increase?
- The city's pension plans were 84.0% funded with a $437.7 million net liability. What is the plan to close the gap?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The charter requires the City Manager to submit a balanced budget at least 90 days before the year begins; the FY2026-27 budget was presented March 24, 2026. Public hearings were held April 15 and April 21, 2026, and council adopted the budget on May 12, 2026. See who is running for council
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