How Russellville is run
Who runs Russellville, 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 Russellville's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Russellville
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
Russellville city staff
Arkansas has no statewide pay database. The 2026 budget lists annual pay for each city position by title but does not state a total staff count. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Russellville 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 2026 budget plans general fund revenue of $20.64 million and spending of $20.54 million. We found no multi-year forecast. Through July 2026, general fund operating revenue was 6.37% above budget projections and spending was 3.56% above. City of Russellville
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $7.7M (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 23, 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 FY2026.
Comes from
- County sales tax$7M · 34%
- City sales and use tax$5.7M · 28%
- Franchise fees$3.1M · 15%
- Fire department permits and EMS fund transfer$981,320 · 5%
- Municipal airport$734,700 · 4%
- Police department (school resource officer, grants, fees)$560,100 · 3%
- State turnback$507,971 · 2%
- Other$2M · 10%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Fire department$6.7M · 32%
- Police department$6.4M · 31%
- Administrative (includes 911, pensions, elections)$1.5M · 8%
- Parks and recreation$1.5M · 7%
- Municipal airport$850,598 · 4%
- Aquatic center$818,099 · 4%
- Mayor's office and finance$784,608 · 4%
- Other$2M · 10%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Russellville homeowner in the Russellville School District paid on the 2025 levy, 89 cents went to the school district, 10 cents to Pope County and 1 cent to the city.
1¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Russellville
- Russellville School District40.8 · 89%
- Pope County4.5 · 10%
- City of Russellville0.52 · 1%
- Total (mills ($ per $1,000 of assessed value))45.82
2025 property tax rates for a home in Russellville (Pope County). Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration: 2025 Millage Report (2026 Collections), Pope County · Mar 1, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Russellville is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityRussellville Police DepartmentCity of Russellville
- FireThe cityRussellville Fire DepartmentCity of Russellville
- EMS (ambulance)The cityRussellville Fire DepartmentThe city's EMS Services Fund collects insurance and patient payments and transfers them to the general fund.City of Russellville
- WaterContractorCity Corporation (nonprofit that operates the city-owned water and sewer system)Any rate increase must be authorized by the City Corporation board and approved by the city council.Russellville Water and Sewer System
- SewerContractorCity Corporation (nonprofit that operates the city-owned water and sewer system)Russellville Water and Sewer System
- StreetsThe cityRussellville Public Works DepartmentCity of Russellville
- ParksThe cityRussellville Recreation and ParksCity of Russellville
- AirportThe cityRussellville Regional AirportCity of Russellville
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 | CentertonAR | RussellvilleAR | ParagouldAR | SherwoodAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 27,176 | 29,521 | 31,135 | 33,620 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $92,521 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $10,268 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $575 | $696 | $875 | $1,017 |
| Debt per resident | $1,429 | $2,441 | $195 | $531 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $422 | $555 | $482 | $235 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.2 | — | — | — |
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 Russellville 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 onlineRussellville has no city manager; the elected mayor runs the city. The budget lists the finance director's pay. City of Russellville
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineMinutes are posted after approval, and meeting videos are posted on YouTube and Facebook. City of Russellville
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe 2026 budget lists each alderman's annual pay of $10,267.80 and the mayor's of $93,783.04. City of Russellville
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Russellville
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $7.75 million at the end of 2024, and the city has no formal reserve policy. Should the council set a reserve target?
- The 2026 general fund budget is $20.54 million, of which $6.66 million is for the fire department and $6.37 million for police. How would the city pay for raises if sales tax receipts fall short?
- The city's share of the police and fire pension plan (LOPFI) was $12.20 million at December 31, 2024. How will rising LOPFI contributions be paid?
- Water and sewer revenue bonds totaled $72.06 million at June 30, 2024. How much will water and sewer rates need to rise to repay 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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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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