How Harrison is run
Who runs Harrison, 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 Harrison's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Harrison
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
Harrison city staff
Arkansas has no statewide pay database. The state audit does not give a staff count, and the city website did not open for our checker, so we found no staff count or pay list. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Harrison 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, planned a $64,659 rise in fund balance; the actual rise was $48,470. We found no readable multi-year forecast. A city sales tax measure on the 2026 ballot would designate 65% for police and fire and 35% for municipal services. Arkansas Legislative Audit · Oct 8, 2025
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $5.3M (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 · Oct 8, 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$4.6M · 61%
- Property taxes$1.2M · 16%
- Transfers in (excess franchise fees)$381,866 · 5%
- Fines, forfeitures and costs$342,725 · 5%
- State aid$194,331 · 3%
- Local permits and fees$186,736 · 2%
- Conservation fees$169,214 · 2%
- Other$418,389 · 6%
Goes to (FY2024)
- Transfers out to other funds$4.2M · 56%
- General government$3.1M · 41%
- Law enforcement$171,425 · 2%
- Other$5,321 · 0%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Harrison homeowner in the Harrison School District paid on the 2025 levy, 77 cents went to the school district, 12 cents to the city and 11 cents to Boone County.
12¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Harrison
- Harrison School District39.2 · 77%
- City of Harrison6.2 · 12%
- Boone County5.6 · 11%
- Total (mills ($ per $1,000 of assessed value))51
2025 property tax rates for a home in Harrison (Boone County). Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration: 2025 Millage Report (2026 Collections), Boone County · Mar 1, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Harrison is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityHarrison Police DepartmentHalf of a voter-approved 0.5% sales tax is designated for the Police Department.Arkansas Legislative Audit · Oct 8, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of Harrison Water and Sewer FundCity of Harrison Water and Sewer Fund
- SewerThe cityCity of Harrison Water and Sewer FundCity of Harrison Water and Sewer Fund
- StreetsThe cityCity of Harrison Street FundArkansas Legislative Audit · Oct 8, 2025
- LibraryThe countyBoone County LibraryBoone County Library
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 Harrison publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineHarrison has no city manager; the elected mayor heads the city government. We found no readable document stating the recorder/treasurer's pay. Arkansas Legislative Audit · Oct 8, 2025
- No: Council votes recorded member by member onlineThe city website did not open for our checker, so we could not confirm posted minutes with member votes. Boone County, Arkansas
- No: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city website did not open for our checker, so we could not confirm posted minutes or videos. Boone County, Arkansas
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no readable document stating mayor or council pay. The state audit lists only former mayors' retirement pay. Arkansas Legislative Audit · Oct 8, 2025
- No: Employee pay publishedThe state audit gives no staff count or pay list, and the city website did not open for our checker. Arkansas Legislative Audit · Oct 8, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- In 2024 the general fund spent $3.02 million itself and sent $4.26 million to other funds for operations. How would police and fire be paid for if the 2026 sales tax measure fails?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $5.27 million at the end of 2024, and the city has no formal reserve policy. Should the council set a reserve target?
- The city's pension liabilities total $13.35 million, including $6.72 million in the police and fire plan (LOPFI). How will rising LOPFI contributions be paid?
- The city owed $19.98 million in bonds and loans at the end of 2024. How much of each year's sales tax and franchise fee revenue goes to repaying them?
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. See who is running for council
Help decide what comes next
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