How Camden is run
Who runs Camden, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Camden's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Camden
The elected mayor heads the city government and appoints its top administrator and department heads. The council passes laws, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Camden city staff
Arkansas has no statewide pay database. The 2026 budget document, which includes pay rate changes, is not posted online, and we found no staff count or pay list. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Camden in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
The city's own outlook
The 2024 general fund budget, as amended by the council, planned a $1.69 million drop in fund balance after transfers; the actual drop was $662,789. The council adopted the 2026 budget on December 16, 2025. Arkansas Legislative Audit · Dec 30, 2025
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $4.3M (2024-12-31). The city's own target: No formal reserve policy. The council commits fund balance by ordinance and may assign amounts to specific purposes, although a formal policy has not been established. Arkansas Legislative Audit · Dec 30, 2025
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2024.
Comes from
- Sales taxes$5.3M · 57%
- Planned use of fund balance$1.7M · 18%
- Franchise fees$898,970 · 10%
- Property taxes$588,500 · 6%
- Fines, forfeitures and costs$275,569 · 3%
- State aid$200,000 · 2%
- Other$313,622 · 3%
Goes to (FY2024)
- Law enforcement$3.1M · 33%
- Public safety (fire)$2.8M · 30%
- General government$1.2M · 13%
- Highways and streets$752,000 · 8%
- Transfers out$655,000 · 7%
- Recreation and culture$646,228 · 7%
- Debt service$77,472 · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Camden homeowner paid on the 2025 levy, 68 cents went to the Camden Fairview School District, 16 cents to the city and 16 cents to Ouachita County.
16¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Camden
- Camden Fairview School District34 · 68%
- City of Camden5 mills general, 1 mill fire, 1 mill police and 1 mill library.8 · 16%
- Ouachita County8 · 16%
- Total (mills ($ per $1,000 of assessed value))50
2025 property tax rates for a home in Camden (Ouachita County). Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration: 2025 Millage Report (2026 Collections), Ouachita County · Mar 1, 2026
See what a Camden home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Camden is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- WaterThe cityCamden Water UtilitiesMunicipally owned water and wastewater utility, a city fund.Camden Water Utilities
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | CamdenAR | MalvernAR | LowellAR | HarrisonAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,127 | 11,144 | 12,184 | 13,802 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $60,000 | Not current (2023) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not current (2023) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $916 | $684 | $1,220 | $544 |
| Debt per resident | $134 | $614 | $418 | $1,447 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $446 | $466 | $583 | $967 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | — | 7.0 | — |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how).
What Camden publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Adopted budget posted onlineThe 2026 budget was adopted December 16, 2025. The budget document was not in the posted meeting packets. City of Camden · Dec 9, 2025
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineCamden has no city manager; the elected mayor heads the city government. The treasurer's salary is set in a council resolution. Arkansas Legislative Audit · Dec 30, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list each alderman's yea or nay vote by name. City of Camden · Dec 9, 2025
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no posted document stating aldermen's pay in the state audit or the council meeting packets. City of Camden
- No: Employee pay publishedThe 2026 budget includes pay rate changes, but the budget document is not posted. We found no pay list by employee. City of Camden · Dec 9, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- General fund spending was more than revenue in 2024, $8.64 million against $8.19 million, and the fund balance fell from $6.19 million at the end of 2022 to $4.44 million. What is the plan to balance the general fund?
- Sales taxes were $5.31 million of the 2024 general fund budget. How would the city handle a drop in sales tax?
- Franchise fees, $898,970 in the 2024 general fund budget, are now pledged to repay $6,170,000 in new revenue bonds. How will the general fund replace that money?
- The city's share of state pension liabilities is $4.52 million, almost all for police and fire. How will rising LOPFI contributions be paid?
The fiscal year runs January 1 to December 31. By December 1 the mayor gives the council a proposed budget, the council discusses it at a meeting, and it must be enacted before February 1. The council adopted the 2026 budget on December 16, 2025. See who is running for council
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