ROANOKE, Va. – On Monday evening, Roanoke City Council met to discuss the city’s next budget. Leaders laid out a $421.5 million budget, an increase of about $13 million from last year.
Officials say rising costs, including salaries and essential services, are still outpacing revenue, leaving the city with an $18.9 million shortfall.
To close the gap, the city is cutting about $5.6 million from its base budget, including reductions to libraries, parks and rec, and youth programs. The plan also includes a hiring freeze on between 80 and 95 positions, along with 29 other jobs to be left unfunded across departments.
In addition, the city is scaling back over $50 million in projects, including Fire Station number two and the Belmont Library expansion.
More meetings are set to be held in April, and a final vote on the budget will be held in May.