City manager presents $379.1 million FY25 recommended budget, highlights historic school funding and pay increases

City Manager and budget staff on April 15 laid out the recommended FY25 budget—a balanced proposal of $379,106,000 in revenues and expenditures that the manager described as responsive to council priorities including schools, public safety, infrastructure and livability.

Budget highlights the manager cited include a historic contribution to Roanoke City schools of about $106.9 million (an increase of roughly $5.4 million over FY24), nearly $11 million targeted to increased employee compensation and recruitment/retention measures (including advancing public safety employees on step pay plans and raising paramedic, firefighter and police starting pay), and approximately $85 million in capital investments. The recommended budget also proposes funding for climate-action implementation in municipal projects and a new regional outdoor recreation maintenance fund to help preserve facilities such as the Roanoke River Greenway.

Staff described personnel and operational items in the proposal: a 3% increase for non-sworn positions, enhanced starting pay for patrol officers and paramedics, several reclassifications and a small number of new FTE requests (seven proposed overall, five funded by enterprise funds). The presentation also shows an added $250,000 for youth recreation and one-time and recurring “supplemental” items (about $1.6M in one-time items and $4.8M recurring supplementals discussed). A multi-year, phased stormwater fee increase is included, with staff identifying the per-square-foot increase that will be phased in.

City finance staff said current revenues look healthy through March, helped by strong real-estate tax receipts and higher permit/fee collections; staff cautioned that personal property tax collections and state funding remain timing variables. Additional fee changes were limited in the recommended budget; staff said the stormwater adjustment is the only fee increase anticipated in FY25.

Council asked detailed questions about specific line items, including permit-fee gains attributed to large projects, how expanded parks programming would be funded and staffed, and whether certain costs were one-time or recurring. Staff set a schedule of briefings, a public hearing at 7 p.m. on April 25, a budget workshop on May 6 and scheduled adoption on May 13. The manager emphasized the budget is balanced but that any council-directed changes must preserve overall balance.

Next steps: staff will hold two-by-two briefings with council, produce supplemental details and respond to council follow-ups ahead of the April 25 public hearing.