More Police, Fire/EMS, Public Works staff included in Williamsburg's draft FY27 budget
Staffing requests left out still include dedicated EMS supervisors, additional patrol officers, and several other public works positions
Several Williamsburg city department heads appeared before City Council during an April 6 work session to justify personnel requests included in Interim City Manager Michele Mixner DeWitt’s proposed FY27 budget. The budget funds 14 new full-time equivalent positions at a projected cost of approximately $981,000, with $884,000 drawn from the General Fund and $97,000 from the Utility Fund. An additional 9.5 requested FTEs, projected to cost $855,000, were not included.
Approved positions include three patrol officers, three firefighter/medics, four public works apprentices and managers, a sports tourism coordinator for the park and recreation team, an assistant park manager for Waller Mill Park, and a communications specialist for the city manager’s office. Not included in the proposed budget are three dedicated EMS supervisors, three additional patrol officers, three public works positions, and a 0.5 FTE permanent part-time assistant registrar for Voter Registration and Elections.
The $121.1 million spending plan, a 17% increase over the prior year, holds the real estate tax rate flat at 62 cents per $100 of assessed value and proposes a 7% water rate increase, from $6.89 to $7.37 per 1,000 gallons, to fund water and sewer infrastructure upgrades. The budget also reflects the first full year of revenue from three tax changes implemented in January 2026: a meals tax increase from 5.0% to 6.5%, a lodging tax increase from 5.0% to 7.0%, and a new 10% admissions tax on event ticket sales capped at $10 per ticket.
Together, those changes are projected to generate $3.2 million in additional revenue, which the city plans to apply toward rising contractual obligations to regional partners including Williamsburg-James City County Schools, the Williamsburg Area Transit Authority, and the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail, which together require $2.3 million in additional funding.
Keep reading for a breakdown of what department heads told the Council about their staffing needs and what will likely be approved.