Budget Departments in Virginia

Budget work in Virginia happens on two levels that rarely overlap. At the state level, the Governor and the General Assembly adopt a two-year spending plan for state agencies, public colleges and the aid sent to localities. At the local level, every city and county governing body adopts its own annual budget, which pays for schools, police, fire service, roads, parks and libraries. Our Virginia listings cover both levels, from the state office in Richmond to city and county offices in Hampton Roads and the Piedmont.

This page explains who does what, how the Virginia calendar works, and how to reach the right office without wasting a trip. If you are unsure which level handles your question, start with this rule of thumb.

• Questions about a state agency's funding, the Appropriation Act or the Governor's proposed budget go to the state budget office in Richmond.
• Questions about your tax rate, a school allocation, a local fee or a city department's spending go to your city or county budget office.
• Questions about your own tax bill or a payment usually go to the treasurer or the commissioner of the revenue, not the budget office.

How the State Budget Process Works in Virginia

Virginia runs on a biennial budget. The state fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30, and the General Assembly adopts a two-year budget during its long session in even-numbered years. In odd-numbered years it passes amendments to that plan. The Governor presents the proposed budget to the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees in December, before the January session begins.

The Department of Planning and Budget, which falls under the Secretary of Finance, helps prepare the Governor's budget and works with agencies on their requests. The Virginia State Budget Department listing in our directory, at Suite 418, 200 N 9th St in Richmond (804-786-5375), reflects this function. The Governor can propose amendments and veto individual items, which is why the final Appropriation Act can differ from what the legislature first passed.

Most residents never need to call the state office. It works mainly with agencies, legislators and localities, and it does not handle individual benefits or tax matters. It is useful if you are a journalist, student, nonprofit staff member or taxpayer who wants to understand how a specific program is funded. Budget bills and committee documents are published online through the General Assembly's Legislative Information System, so check there first and call with a specific bill or item number.

Independent Cities and Counties: What the Virginia Listings Mean

Virginia is unusual because its 38 independent cities are legally separate from any county. A resident of Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Charlottesville or Richmond does not pay county taxes. The city government provides every local service and prepares its own budget. Our database still uses a county-style label for each location so the site's addresses follow one pattern. That is why you will see pages such as Chesapeake County, Portsmouth County and City of Richmond County, even though these are cities, not counties.

The same quirk explains the Charlottesville entry. The Albemarle County Budget Department is at 401 McIntire Road, Charlottesville (434-872-4516), but it serves Albemarle County, which surrounds the independent City of Charlottesville. If you live inside the city limits, your budget questions go to the city, not to Albemarle. Check your tax bill or property assessment notice for the name of your locality if you are not sure. The Charlottesville County page in this directory holds the Albemarle listing.

Isle of Wight County, by contrast, is a traditional county in Hampton Roads. Its budget office is at Suite 137, 17090 Monument Circle (757-365-6307). The county includes the towns of Smithfield and Windsor. Towns in Virginia sit inside a county, so their residents pay county taxes and may also pay town taxes. Town councils adopt their own budgets for town services.

Metro, Suburban and Rural Differences Across Virginia

Hampton Roads holds some of the state's largest local budgets. Chesapeake has roughly a quarter of a million residents and two entries in our directory: the Chesapeake Budget Department at Suite 101, 860 Greenbrier Circle (757-502-4898) and the Chesapeake City Budget Department at 306 Cedar Road, #5 (757-382-6158). When one city has two listings, ask which office handles your question before you drive over. The Portsmouth City Budget Department, at 801 Crawford Street (757-393-5270), serves a compact waterfront city on the Elizabeth River.

Central Virginia looks different. Albemarle County mixes suburban growth near Charlottesville with large rural areas of farms and mountain land. Its budget has to cover services spread over a wide geography, including road maintenance, rescue squads and schools.

Richmond is the one place where state and local budget work sit within a few blocks of each other. The Virginia State Budget Department handles the Commonwealth's budget. The City of Richmond prepares its own through the mayor and City Council. A call to the wrong one is an easy mistake to make.

Rural counties, among Virginia's 95, usually have smaller staffs. In many of them the county administrator or finance director prepares the budget, and no office is called a budget department. If your locality is not listed here, call its main administration number and ask who handles the annual budget.

The Local Budget Calendar and Your Chance to Speak

Most Virginia localities run a July 1 to June 30 fiscal year. The city manager or county administrator typically presents a proposed budget in the spring. The governing body then holds work sessions and an advertised public hearing, and adoption normally comes before July 1. School boards submit their own requests, but Virginia school divisions cannot levy taxes. The city council or board of supervisors decides how much money the schools receive.

State law also sets a rule on real estate taxes. When a locality proposes a rate that would raise total real estate tax revenue by more than one percent, it must advertise the rate and hold a hearing. Watching for that notice in your local newspaper or on the locality's website is the best early warning of a tax change.

What to Do Before You Contact a Virginia Budget Office

• Decide whether your question is state or local, using the rule of thumb above.
• Find the proposed or adopted budget online and note the page, fund or department you are asking about.
• Call during weekday business hours and confirm the suite number and visitor entrance, since several offices sit inside larger municipal buildings.
• Ask whether the answer can be sent in writing, and get a staff email address for follow-up.

Staff do not usually charge to answer questions. Copies of large documents may carry a fee under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, so ask for the electronic version first.

The state budget department in Virginia is responsible for coordinating the governor's executive budget proposal, managing the state's fiscal year appropriations process, monitoring agency spending, and reporting on the state's financial condition to the legislature and the public.

Budget Departments locations are available in 5 cities across Virginia. They are spread across 5 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Richmond, where larger municipal governments maintain dedicated budget offices to manage complex multi-department expenditure plans and capital improvement programs.

Residents of Virginia interested in participating in the budget process can attend public budget hearings, review draft budget documents posted online, and submit written comments to their local government budget office during the public comment period before budget adoption.

Nonprofit organizations, contractors, and grant recipients working with Virginia government programs should contact the relevant budget department for information about current fiscal year appropriations, spending freeze notifications, and any mid-year budget adjustments that may affect funding levels for ongoing programs or contracts.

Browse Budget Departments by county across Virginia to find the nearest location.

Practical Notes for Using Budget Offices in Virginia

Budget offices in Virginia are working offices inside municipal or county buildings, not walk-in service counters. Staff spend most of the year preparing, tracking and amending budgets, and they are busiest from February through May. A phone call or email ahead of time usually gets a faster answer than showing up in person.

When you call, name the specific item: a department, a fund, a school line or a page number in the proposed budget. Staff can point you to the right document far faster than they can answer a broad question like where the money goes. Most localities publish the proposed budget, a short citizen summary and the adopted version on their websites.

Several listings sit in suites inside larger buildings, such as Suite 101 on Greenbrier Circle in Chesapeake, Suite 137 on Monument Circle in Isle of Wight and Suite 418 on North 9th Street in Richmond. Confirm the suite number and the visitor entrance before you travel. People in Isle of Wight County who live in Smithfield or Windsor should also ask their town hall about the town budget.

Finally, keep your own records. If an office gives you a figure, note the date, the staff member's name and the document it came from. That makes follow-up questions easier and helps if you later cite the number at a public hearing.

Virginia Budget Questions Answered