How Fairmont is run
Who runs Fairmont, 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 Fairmont's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Fairmont
A nine-member council, elected by district, sets policy and appoints the city manager, Travis L. Blosser, who runs the city day to day. The council picks one of its members as mayor.
What they are paid
- 3 months of paid COBRA health coverage after severance
- 160 hours of vacation a year
- No city car or car allowance; mileage is reimbursed
Fairmont city staff
133 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Full-time general fund positions. Excludes part-time staff and the water and sewer boards. City of Fairmont
The budget lists positions by department but not pay by position. West Virginia has no statewide city pay database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Fairmont 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
We found no multi-year forecast. The city manager calls the FY2026-27 budget balanced with no new taxes or fees, using $2,629,847 of carried-over fund balance. He says police and fire pension payments of $2.3 million are projected to fall to about $1.5 million by 2035. City of Fairmont · Feb 3, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $16M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: We found no minimum reserve target. The audit describes only the order in which fund balance is spent, with unassigned money spent last. City of Fairmont · Mar 25, 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
- Business and occupation tax$5.5M · 25%
- Sales tax$3.3M · 15%
- Fund balance carried over$2.6M · 12%
- Property tax (current year)$2.5M · 11%
- Garbage fees$2.1M · 9%
- Fire protection fees$1.2M · 5%
- Police protection fees$635,200 · 3%
- Other (utility excise taxes, street fees, permits and more)$4.3M · 19%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Fire$6M · 27%
- Police$5M · 22%
- Sanitation (trash)$2.1M · 9%
- Streets, street lights and signals$1.7M · 8%
- City hall (shared costs)$1.2M · 5%
- Street and sidewalk projects$1.1M · 5%
- Other (finance, planning, inspections, parks and more)$5M · 23%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Fairmont is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityFairmont Police DepartmentCity of Fairmont · Mar 25, 2026
- Trash and sanitationThe cityCity of FairmontPaid for by a city garbage fee.City of Fairmont · Mar 25, 2026
- WaterThe cityFairmont Water BoardCity of Fairmont · Mar 25, 2026
- StreetsThe cityFairmont Public Works DepartmentCity of Fairmont · Feb 2, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of FairmontCity of Fairmont · Mar 25, 2026
- Animal controlThe countyMarion County CommissionThe city pays the county under a contract.City of Fairmont · Feb 3, 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 | South CharlestonWV | FairmontWV | CharlestonWV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 13,072 | 18,035 | 46,117 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $125,000 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $7,000 |
| General fund per resident | $2,601 | $1,222 | $2,464 |
| Debt per resident | $6,444 | $1,160 | $1,204 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $5,601 | $2,231 | $3,940 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 7.4 | 16.5 |
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 Fairmont publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Fairmont · Mar 26, 2024
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of Fairmont · Feb 2, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund money was $16,014,926 at June 30, 2025, compared with a $22,035,050 general fund budget for FY2026-27. Should the council set a reserve target and a plan for the rest?
- The fire pension fund was 27.44% funded, with $28,146,487 unfunded, at June 30, 2025. How fast will the new funding method close that gap?
- The FY2026-27 budget uses $2,629,847 of carried-over fund balance. How much of that is for one-time projects?
- Business and occupation tax is budgeted at $5,500,000 for FY2026-27. How much would a downturn in local business cut from city services?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager presents the proposed budget in early February (February 3 in 2026). Council meets between March 7 and March 28 to prepare the budget, which goes to the State Auditor for approval. Council reconvenes on the third Tuesday in April to hear objections and lay the property tax levy. See who is running for council
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