ROANOKE CITY, Va. – Roanoke city leaders presented a proposed budget for the next fiscal year that would keep spending balanced, but it would freeze dozens of vacant jobs and leave other positions unfunded.
City staff presented Roanoke City Council with a proposed FY2027 budget of $421.5 million Monday night. The plan is not final, and Council Member Nick Hagen emphasized that it can change as public input is received.
“Typically, this type of thing, it does change as we get a little bit closer based off of public input,” said Hagen.
A major feature of the proposal is a citywide hiring freeze that will affect an estimated 80 to 95 positions. City officials say the freeze will help them save $5 million.
According to Hagen, the freeze is not being framed as layoffs. Instead, the city would choose not to hire into positions that are already vacant, even if the funding for those jobs had previously been budgeted.
“They’re currently unfilled right now, and basically we’re choosing not to fill them … that’s a way to make up the difference in some of the funding gaps,” said Hagen.
Hagen said the frozen vacancies could touch departments, including Parks and Recreation and other city services, though he said he did not have a department-by-department breakdown in front of him.
“My understanding is it comes from all over, from things we’re getting to Parks and Rec to other types of services throughout the city,” he said.
In addition to the hiring freeze, the proposal includes 29 positions that would be unfunded, totaling about $2.4 million. The city provided a list of departments that could be impacted, which includes the Sheriff’s Office, the Police Department, and the libraries.
Hagen said he intends to keep essential public safety roles from being impacted as much as possible.
“Making sure that they have the funds necessary to work efficiently … there are going to be some unfilled positions with that, but … I’m going to try and prioritize making sure those types of things are filled,” said Hagen.
When asked directly whether the proposal could lead to layoffs or demotions, Hagen said he was not aware of any.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Hagen said. “A lot of this stuff … is coming from positions that we have advertised and that won’t be filled.”
For city employees worried about job security, Hagen acknowledged the concern and pointed out the city is one of the region’s largest employers, while emphasizing the budget is still in its early stages.
“I know we’re in very difficult times right now,” he said. “The reality is that I’m hoping that we can mitigate some of that as we move forward.”
Hagen encouraged residents to participate in the budget process, noting the council is expected to vote on the budget in May and that public meetings are planned before the final decision.
“This is still a proposed budget. It’s still very early in this discussion. You know I know that there’s been some major concerns about the way that council spends money and spends taxpayer dollars, and I think that that’s one of the things that we’re going to be all taking a look at very deeply as members of council,” said Hagen.
Roanoke City has a community meeting scheduled about the budget on April 9 at Williamson Library at 6:30 pm, and the budget is expected to be adopted on May 11.