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Town Hall · Bluefield

How Bluefield is run

Bluefield spent $15.2 million in the year to June 30, 2024, about $3,041 per resident.

Town website
Photo: Brian Stansberry
City budget
$15.2 million
spent, year to June 30, 2024
Per resident
$3,041
Below typical Virginia cities ($3,544)
Long-term debt
$8.6 million
$1,712 per resident
City staff
72
full-time · 74 part-time
Typical tax bill
$949
a year · VA $2,790

What stands out about how Bluefield is run

Read from the town’s budget, meetings and records. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $949 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.62% of the home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Virginia$2,790
Bluefield$949
$949
typical bill a year
0.62%
effective rate
$152,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bluefield’s rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

The school district

Tazewell County Public Schools

Bluefield’s K–12 school district, shared with Cedar Bluff, Pocahontas, Richlands, Tazewell. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Bluefield →
$14,708
per pupil · VA $17,169
5,302
students
$2 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,708 per pupil, $7,989 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 17%State 54%Federal 30%

Virginia districts overall: 49% local, 41% state, 10% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Over the years

Per resident, spending is up 43% since 2022

Spending per resident, by fiscal year. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Spending per resident by year

2022$2,131
2024$3,041
$15.2 million
spent in 2024
$10.3 million
spent in 2022

* A Census Bureau estimate for that year (the town didn’t report most of its figures).

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Bluefield

Local officials aren’t in the public records we use for Bluefield yet. Neighbors can add them.

Your share of the budget

About $3,041 per resident a year, or $8.33 a day

The biggest line: police, at 22% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 23%Fees & charges 23%From the state 19%Property taxes 10%Interest, fines & other 9%Other taxes & licenses 6%Utility sales 6%From the federal government 4%
Who works for Bluefield

One full-time town employee for every 69 residents

On the payroll in March 2022.

By department full-time, plus part-time

Police23
Roads & transportation14 + 6 pt
Administration & buildings9 + 13 pt
Fire0 + 24 pt
Parks & libraries7 + 9 pt
Water & other utilities8 + 3 pt
Sewer & trash4 + 3 pt
Other7 + 16 pt
72
full-time
74
part-time
$40,400
average full-time pay, before benefits
20
sworn police officers

Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it’s approximate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

Who represents Bluefield

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Bluefield.

Politics & elections →
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Virginia HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Virginia SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Virginia

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Bluefield’s government

Numbers and hours come from neighbors and the town’s own site (the Handbook). A new one goes live once two neighbors confirm it.

The Handbook →
Official websitebluefieldva.org ↗

Questions about how Bluefield is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Bluefield get good value for its tax dollars?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. School district: Census school finance survey. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates. Representatives: Open States, the Census and congress-legislators.

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