Winchester City Government
About the City
Winchester, founded in 1744, is the oldest Virginia city west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Located at the northern entrance of the Shenandoah Valley, the City encompasses 9.3 sq. miles and is the medical, industrial, commercial and agricultural center for the surrounding areas. The City has a population of approximately 26,000 with 6,600 single family homes and over 3,500 multi-family dwellings.
Winchester is a community with a rich heritage and a dynamic future. It is the home of General Stonewall Jackson's Headquarters, occupied by General Jackson during the winter of 1861-62. George Washington's Office where he spent much of his time in Winchester from 1748 till 1758, and the home of the country singing legend Patsy Cline (patsyclinemuseum.com). The area is replete with historical sites and visitor attractions.
City of Winchester Mission Statement
The City of Winchester is dedicated to providing quality services to our citizens in a cost-effective and efficient manner, while anticipating the future needs of our community.
Our mission will be accomplished by: Quality Leadership; A Dedicated Work Force; A Community of Active Citizen Involvement; and, Dedicated Volunteerism.
Objective
To provide better, more efficient service to the citizens of Winchester, through feedback from citizens and monitoring our service delivery effectiveness.
Service Delivery Policy
The City of Winchester's Service Delivery Policy is to provide services to the public equally and fairly without regard to the person's age, sex, race, religion, national origin, creed, political affiliation or disability. We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to affirmative action. Any member of the public requiring special accommodations such as an interpreter or reader should contact City Hall at (540) 667 1815(phone) or (540)722 0782(TDD).
Governmental Organization
City Council
The City is organized under the Council-Manager form of government. The governing body, the Common Council, is elected by voters under a ward system defined in Section Four of the Winchester City Charter.
Beginning in 2006, City Council began transitioning from a thirteen (13) member body to a nine (9) member body. Currently, there are eleven (11) members serving on City Council. The transition is to be completed by 2008, upon the expiration of some of the existing council terms affected by the transition. Beginning in the November 2006 election, two council members are elected from each of four wards, and the Mayor is elected at large.
Council uses the committee system to gather information and study issues, with members serving on two committees as directed by the President of Council. Council committees consist of the following: Finance and Administration; Planning and Development; Community Services; Public Safety; and, Health, Education, and Welfare.
Team Approach
The City is fortunate to have some of the most experienced and talented employees in municipal government who are dedicated to helping others and improving the quality of life for Winchester residents. However, sometimes departmental boundaries get in the way of our customer service efforts. For example, a department might approve a citizen project or a City contract that conflicts with the activities of another department. In other cases, employees may accidentally end up working against each other because of different job responsibilities. This is an unintended result of everyone trying to do a good job. In order to address these quality customer service concerns, we’ve adopted a new team approach, which realigned departments into five functional groups: public safety, public services, human services, development, and administrative services (see chart below). This organization model allows for better communication across departmental boundaries, ultimately improving how we deliver services to the public.
Council Meetings
The City of Winchester Council meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month, at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Rouss City Hall. The public is welcome and citizen participation is encouraged.
Special accommodations to attend the meeting can be arranged by calling City Hall at (540) 667-1815(phone) or (540) 722-0782(TDD).