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DamascusdowntownPhoto: Metayel · Public domain
Town Hall · Damascus

How is Damascus run?

Damascus’ town government spent $1.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,452 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Damascus didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Virginia.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$1.9M
year to June 30, 2024 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2024
$2,452
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$836,000
end of FY2024 · Census estimate
Town staff, 2022
9
full-time · 11 part-time · March payroll $36,240
Typical tax bill
$909
0.52% of home value · VA 0.73%

What stands out about how Damascus is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2024 budget

About $2,452 per resident a year, or $6.72 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 37%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 38%Property taxes 24%Fees & charges 21%Other taxes & licenses 7%From the state 5%Interest, fines & other 4%
An estimate

Damascus didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $613,000; interest on debt $8,000. With these, the whole budget was $2.6 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Damascus yet

Every year of Damascus’ figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $909 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.52% of the home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Virginia$2,790
Damascus$909
$909
typical bill a year
0.52%
effective rate
$173,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Damascus’ 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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.

Tax bills are one input to Damascus’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Damascus →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Damascus

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See damascus.org for Damascus’ current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Damascus yet.damascus.org ↗
Agendas

Damascus’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on damascus.org ↗.

Who works for Damascus

One full-time town employee for every 88 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (788).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Administration & buildings1 + 9 pt
Police4
Roads & transportation2 + 2 pt
Parks & libraries2
9
full-time
11
part-time
$36,240
payroll for March 2022
$434,880
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$37,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
4
sworn police officers
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Damascus’ 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Washington County Public Schools

Damascus’ K–12 school district, shared with Abingdon, Glade Spring. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Damascus →
$14,860
per pupil · VA $17,169
6,705
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $14,860 per pupil, $9,337 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 28%State 57%Federal 15%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Damascus’ votes are counted by county

Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Damascus alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Washington County’s results.

President · Washington County’s results29,518 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican76.1%22,455 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat22.9%6,772 votes

Others: 1.0% (291 votes).

Most votes in Washington County: Donald J Trump

Virginia: Harris 51.8%, Trump 46.1%

The county’s page

100% of Damascus lies in Washington County. Every 2024 race in Washington County is on the county’s page.

Washington County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.

Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.

Who represents Damascus

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Damascus.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Officials: damascus.org ↗
  2. 2
    Virginia House of DelegatesState 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 Damascus’ government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Damascus’ government

How much does Damascus spend per resident?

About $2,452 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Damascus didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $2.6 million.

What is the property tax rate in Damascus?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $909 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.52% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.73% across Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see damascus.org.

Who runs Damascus’ government?

See damascus.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Damascus yet.

How did Damascus vote in 2024?

Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Damascus alone. Washington County, where 100% of Damascus lies, voted Trump 76.1%, Harris 22.9% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Damascus?

9 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $36,240 (about $434,880 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Damascus in the state legislature?

State Senate District 6 (Todd Pillion) and House of Delegates District 44 (Israel O'Quinn). The House of Delegates district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Damascus’ government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Damascus, the Bureau’s estimates); day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →