ROANOKE, Va. – A proposed budget was brought to Roanoke City Council on Monday. It comes in at nearly $380 million, more than $20 million above last year.
Roanoke is making historic investments into education with the most recent proposed budget for 2025. That number, right over $112 million out of the $379 million budget, is the largest expense for the city government.
Record funding for Roanoke City Schools is $106 million in total, $5.4 million more than fiscal year 2024.
“To provide more money for the schools, that all comes from tax revenue, and that tax revenue is predominantly carried by our property owners. Not necessarily homeowners because there are also folks that own rental properties and commercial property,” Bob Cowell, Roanoke City Manager said.
The second biggest takeaway from the proposed budget is the commitment to public safety.
That adds up to $99.9 million. This will include advancing positions to their next step on the public safety pay plan and raising starting pay for officers, firefighters, and paramedics.
“You are trying to balance the provision of services that make our community an attractive place to make investments in and to live in with whatever the tax burden is associated with it,” Cowell said.
Right behind public safety in the proposed budget is human services. The city will allocate $50 million, including increased funding for Blue Ridge Behavioral Health.
”Say for example, someone has barricaded themselves in a home or they are suicidal, they’ll actually go and assist the police officers, that’s one service but the majority of their services are actually individuals seeking mental health care. Most of them are seeking it through Blue Ridge Behavior because they can’t acquire or afford private health care,” Cowell said.
City Council will be conducting a public hearing on April 25 to further discuss the proposed budget and the city’s tax rates.