How Winchester is run
Who runs Winchester, 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 Winchester's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Winchester
A city manager appointed by the council runs daily operations. The nine-member council, a mayor elected citywide and eight members elected from four wards, sets policy and passes ordinances.
What they are paid
Winchester city staff
678 full-time-equivalent positions, including General fund departments 376, Water and sewer utilities 71, Social services 71, Juvenile detention center 36, Frederick-Winchester Service Authority (wastewater) 27. FY2026-27 (adopted budget, all funds). City of Winchester · May 12, 2026
The budget gives positions by division; we found no published pay scale or pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Winchester 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 budget projects unassigned general fund balance to fall $1.7 million in FY2026, to $25.4 million (22.0% of spending), mainly from park projects and paying off a bond early. It warns that the council will need to watch tax rates and that departments must find savings or new revenue to offset any forecasted revenue shortfall. City of Winchester · May 12, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $27M (2025-06-30). City of Winchester · Dec 1, 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
- General property taxes$59.2M · 47%
- Sales tax$14M · 11%
- Meals tax$13.5M · 11%
- Business license tax$9.8M · 8%
- State aid$8.6M · 7%
- Other local taxes (lodging, utility, bank franchise and others)$7.8M · 6%
- Other (fees, fines, charges, federal aid and use of fund balance)$13.3M · 11%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Education (city schools)$38.8M · 31%
- Public safety$34.2M · 27%
- General government$10.9M · 9%
- Debt service$10.9M · 9%
- Transfers to other funds$7.7M · 6%
- Public works$7.2M · 6%
- Courts and judicial$6.2M · 5%
- Other (parks and recreation, community development, health and welfare)$10.4M · 8%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Winchester is an independent city, so there is no county property tax. The city funds its share of the schools from the general fund. The council kept the rate at $0.795 for 2026 on a 6-3 vote.
100¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Winchester
- City of Winchester (including schools)0.795 · 100%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)0.795
FY2026-27 real estate tax rate for a home in the City of Winchester. City of Winchester · May 12, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Winchester is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- Fire and rescueThe cityCity fire and rescue servicesCity of Winchester · Dec 1, 2025
- 911 dispatchThe cityWinchester Emergency Communications CenterCity of Winchester · May 12, 2026
- Water and sewerThe cityCity water and sewer utilityCity of Winchester · Dec 1, 2025
- TrashThe cityCity refuse collectionCity of Winchester · Dec 1, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity street maintenanceCity of Winchester · Dec 1, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity parks and recreationCity of Winchester · Dec 1, 2025
- TransitThe cityCity transit serviceCity of Winchester · Dec 1, 2025
- Social servicesThe cityCity social servicesCity of Winchester · Dec 1, 2025
- SchoolsSeparate districtWinchester Public Schools (elected School Board)The school board is elected; the council approves the city share of school funding.City of Winchester · Dec 1, 2025
- LibraryAnother agencyHandley Regional Library (City, Frederick and Clarke counties)City of Winchester · Dec 1, 2025
- JailAnother agencyNorthwestern Regional Jail AuthorityCity of Winchester · Dec 1, 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 | HerndonVA | SalemVA | FairfaxVA | WinchesterVA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 25,506 | 25,816 | 26,772 | 28,272 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $195,000 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $12,000 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,919 | $4,616 | $7,766 | $4,466 |
| Debt per resident | $616 | $2,928 | $5,484 | $8,409 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $15 | $1,573 | $3,062 | $277 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 11.1 | 20.0 | 17.3 | 24.0 |
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 Winchester publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe adopted FY2027 budget is posted on the city's Budget & Financials page as a PDF and an interactive budget. City of Winchester
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe City Manager page gives his background but no contract or salary. We found none in council minutes. City of Winchester
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes on the city's agenda portal list each member's aye or nay vote. Winchester Common Council · May 12, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's agenda portal posts agendas and minutes and offers live and archived meeting video. City of Winchester
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of Winchester · May 12, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget describes a 4% cost of living raise and a 2% pay scale increase but does not publish the pay scale. City of Winchester · May 12, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget of $126.3 million is 4.7% larger than the year before, with the real estate rate held at $0.795. What would the council do if revenue growth slows?
- The council voted 6-3 on May 12, 2026, to pass the budget without a meals tax increase for schools. How will school funding needs be met in FY2027-28?
- The city owes $237.7 million in bonds and similar debt, mostly for the water, sewer and stormwater utilities. How much more borrowing does the capital plan need?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager presented the FY2027 proposed budget on April 28, 2026. The council held the tax rate hearing on April 14, 2026, and held the budget hearing and adopted the budget on May 12, 2026. See who is running for council
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