How Fayetteville is run
Who runs Fayetteville, 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 Fayetteville's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Fayetteville
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
- City-paid life insurance of $15,000
- May join the city's health, dental and vision plans on the same terms as full-time employees
Fayetteville city staff
968 full-time-equivalent positions, including General fund 595, Water and sewer 118, Street fund 77, Recycling and trash 71. FY2026 adopted budget. City of Fayetteville · Nov 18, 2025
Arkansas has no statewide pay database, and the budget gives staff counts only. We found no pay list by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Fayetteville 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.
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $40.1M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: The city's goal is a minimum unassigned general fund balance of 16.4% of operating spending. The city estimates the balance at the end of 2025 was about 51%. The city meets this target. City of Fayetteville · Jun 26, 2026
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 FY2026.
Comes from
- County sales tax$27.8M · 34%
- City sales tax$20.9M · 26%
- Franchise fees$7.5M · 9%
- Property taxes$6.4M · 8%
- Licenses and permits$4.6M · 6%
- Charges for services$4.4M · 5%
- Intergovernmental$4.2M · 5%
- Other$5.3M · 7%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$27.8M · 34%
- Fire$21.7M · 27%
- Finance and internal services$9.1M · 11%
- Community planning and engineering$7.5M · 9%
- General government$7.4M · 9%
- Parks and recreation$5M · 6%
- Other$2.3M · 3%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Fayetteville homeowner paid on the 2025 levy, about 79 cents went to the school district, 9 cents to Washington County, 6 cents to the public library and 5 cents to the city.
5¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Fayetteville
- Fayetteville Public Schools45 · 79%
- Washington County5.3 · 9%
- Fayetteville Public Library3.7 · 6%
- City of Fayetteville2.3 mills for general operations plus 0.4 mills each for the police and fire pension funds.3.1 · 5%
- Total (mills)57.1
2025 property tax rates for a home in Fayetteville (Washington County). City of Fayetteville · Jun 26, 2026
See what a Fayetteville home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Fayetteville is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCity of FayettevilleCity of Fayetteville · Jun 26, 2026
- FireThe cityCity of FayettevilleThe fire department also responds to emergency medical calls.City of Fayetteville · Nov 18, 2025
- 911 dispatchThe cityCity of Fayetteville (Central Dispatch)City of Fayetteville · Nov 18, 2025
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of FayettevilleThe city buys its water from Beaver Water District.City of Fayetteville · Nov 18, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of FayettevilleCity of Fayetteville · Jun 26, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of FayettevilleCity of Fayetteville · Jun 26, 2026
- AirportThe cityCity of Fayetteville (Drake Field)City of Fayetteville · Nov 18, 2025
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 | BentonvilleAR | JonesboroAR | Fort SmithAR | FayettevilleAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 63,057 | 83,296 | 90,855 | 106,623 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $215,000 | $167,800 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not current (2023) | Not current (2021) |
| General fund per resident | $1,401 | $780 | $611 | $760 |
| Debt per resident | $2,380 | $211 | $2,802 | $1,286 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $877 | $343 | $717 | $586 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 11.9 | — | 12.4 | 9.1 |
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 Fayetteville publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe 2026 Annual Budget and Work Program, adopted November 18, 2025, is posted on the city website. City of Fayetteville · Nov 18, 2025
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe chief of staff is appointed by the mayor. We found no posted contract; a news report gives the base salary. Talk Business & Politics · Aug 14, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city posts live and archived meeting videos, agendas and minutes. City of Fayetteville · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentCity code states council members' monthly pay and benefits. The mayor's pay is set by formula, not a stated amount. Fayetteville Code of Ordinances, Sec. 31.16 and 31.17 · Oct 19, 2021
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget gives staff counts by fund and department. We found no pay list by employee. City of Fayetteville · Nov 18, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $40.1 million at the end of 2025, about 51% of spending, against a 16.4% minimum goal. What is the plan for the amount above the goal?
- Police ($27.8 million) and fire ($21.7 million) make up most of the $81.0 million 2026 general fund budget. How will the new compensation study change those costs?
- County and city sales taxes are budgeted at $27.8 million and $20.9 million in 2026. How would the budget respond if sales tax falls short, as it did in the first quarter?
- The city's net pension liability for police and fire plans was $62.5 million at the end of 2025. What is the plan to pay it down?
The fiscal year starts January 1. Departments submit requests to the mayor by the end of August, and the mayor usually presents the proposed general fund budget in September. The council holds work sessions and public discussions in November and December. The council adopted the 2026 budget on November 18, 2025. See who is running for council
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