How Bardstown is run
Who runs Bardstown, 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 Bardstown's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Bardstown
Bardstown has an elected mayor and a six-member city council. The mayor's office runs the general operations of the city. A city administrator, appointed in June 2023, drafts the budget and oversees day-to-day operations.
What they are paid
Bardstown city staff
The budget lists payroll by department and estimated salaries for new positions, but no total position count or individual pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Bardstown 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
Unassigned general fund balance: $36.1M (FY2024-25). City of Bardstown · Jan 30, 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 FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Use of reserves$27M · 58%
- Occupational license fee$8.2M · 18%
- Property taxes (current year)$3.8M · 8%
- Net profits fee$1.6M · 3%
- Restaurant tax$1.2M · 3%
- Interest earned$1.1M · 2%
- Other (permits, grants, recreation fees, franchise fees, motor vehicle taxes)$3.6M · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Parks and recreation (incl. $23.5 million aquatics and sports center)$25.3M · 54%
- Police (incl. $3.8 million new headquarters)$9.6M · 21%
- Fire$3.8M · 8%
- Finance (incl. bond sinking transfer and restaurant tax)$3.4M · 7%
- Streets$2.2M · 5%
- Administration$1.7M · 4%
- Other (information technology, education center)$625,000 · 1%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Bardstown is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityBardstown Police DepartmentCity of Bardstown
- FireThe cityBardstown Fire DepartmentCity of Bardstown
- ElectricityThe cityCity of Bardstown Electric DepartmentServes 4,700 customers; city-owned since 1895.City of Bardstown
- WaterThe cityCity of Bardstown Water DepartmentServes about 12,000 customers across half of Nelson County.City of Bardstown
- SewerThe cityCity of Bardstown Wastewater DepartmentCity of Bardstown
- Trash collectionThe cityCity of Bardstown Public Works (sanitation)City of Bardstown
- StreetsThe cityCity of Bardstown Public WorksCity of Bardstown
- CemeteryThe cityBardstown Cemetery (board appointed by the council)City of Bardstown · Jan 30, 2026
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 | NewportKY | BardstownKY | ShepherdsvilleKY | ShivelyKY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 13,998 | 14,161 | 14,931 | 15,895 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not current (2023) |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $2,122 | $3,288 | $2,985 | $1,152 |
| Debt per resident | $2,666 | $1,476 | $3,076 | $8 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,230 | $1,658 | $1,554 | $1,155 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 10.3 | — | — | — |
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 Bardstown 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 onlineNo contract or pay document for the City Administrator was found on the administration page or in posted minutes. City of Bardstown
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlinePosted minutes list each roll call vote by member. City of Bardstown
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget is $46.6 million, and $27 million of it comes from reserves, mostly for the $23.5 million aquatics and sports center. What will the center cost to run each year once it opens?
- The council authorized about $25.68 million in general obligation bonds in May 2026, on top of $20.9 million in loans at June 30, 2025. How will the debt payments be funded?
- The city's share of CERS pension liabilities was $23.5 million, measured June 30, 2024. How will CERS contribution rates affect future budgets?
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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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