How Elizabethtown is run
Who runs Elizabethtown, 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 Elizabethtown's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Elizabethtown
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
Elizabethtown city staff
The budget lists positions by department but gives no citywide total. The pay plan gives pay rates by job class. We found no list of individual employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Elizabethtown 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 budget has no multi-year forecast. It plans to use reserves for capital projects, drawing the general fund balance from an estimated $35.0 million to about $20.0 million by June 30, 2027. The audit calls the city financially sound but urges prudence. City of Elizabethtown · Jun 15, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $50.8M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: The city has not adopted a minimum fund balance policy. City of Elizabethtown · Jan 14, 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
- Occupational tax on wages (withholdings)$33M · 44%
- Drawn from general fund reserves$15M · 20%
- Occupational tax on business net profits$7M · 9%
- Restaurant tax (passed to the Tourism Bureau)$5.5M · 7%
- Property taxes$5.3M · 7%
- Hotel tax (passed to the Tourism Bureau)$1.5M · 2%
- Interest$1M · 1%
- Other$6.3M · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$16.8M · 23%
- Streets$15.6M · 21%
- Restaurant and motel tax passed to the Tourism Bureau$7M · 9%
- Administration, nonoperating (capital, community funding, contingency)$6.9M · 9%
- Mayor, council and administration$5.4M · 7%
- Stormwater$5M · 7%
- Fire (general fund share)$3.8M · 5%
- Other$14M · 19%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Elizabethtown is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityElizabethtown Police DepartmentCity of Elizabethtown · Jun 15, 2026
- FireThe cityElizabethtown Fire DepartmentMost fire costs are paid from insurance premium tax revenue.City of Elizabethtown · Jun 15, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Elizabethtown sewer utilityCity of Elizabethtown · Jan 14, 2026
- Natural gasThe cityCity of Elizabethtown natural gas systemCity of Elizabethtown · Jan 14, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity Public Works DepartmentCity of Elizabethtown
- Brush and leaf collectionThe cityCity Public Works DepartmentCity of Elizabethtown
- StormwaterThe cityCity Stormwater DepartmentCity of Elizabethtown · Jun 15, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity Parks and Recreation DepartmentCity of Elizabethtown · Jun 15, 2026
- Tourism promotionAnother agencyElizabethtown Tourism and Convention BureauBoard members are appointed by the mayor.City of Elizabethtown · Jan 14, 2026
- AirportAnother agencyElizabethtown Airport BoardCity of Elizabethtown · Jan 14, 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 | FlorenceKY | ElizabethtownKY | RichmondKY | GeorgetownKY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 34,018 | 35,448 | 40,663 | 40,883 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $20,605 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $14,837 |
| General fund per resident | $1,594 | $2,104 | $1,105 | $1,396 |
| Debt per resident | $49 | $2,600 | $2,834 | $2,220 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,724 | $1,389 | $1,269 | $1,112 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 7.2 | — | — | 5.7 |
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 Elizabethtown 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 onlineThe top appointed official is the City Administrator. We found no contract online; the pay plan lists the job in class 64. City of Elizabethtown · Jun 15, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlinePosted minutes record roll call votes naming each member, such as the 6-0 vote on the 2026 property tax rate. City of Elizabethtown · Sep 21, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Elizabethtown
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no current ordinance or budget line stating mayor or council pay. A 2020 news report says mayor pay follows the state maximum. The News-Enterprise · Dec 9, 2020
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund balance was $50.8 million on June 30, 2025, and the city has no minimum fund balance policy. Should the council adopt one?
- Bonds and notes outstanding were $92.1 million on June 30, 2025. How will debt payments be covered in future budgets as the general fund draws on reserves?
- Occupational tax on wages is budgeted at $33.0 million, more than half of general fund revenue. How would a slowdown in local jobs affect the budget?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The mayor presented the FY2026-27 budget to the council on June 1, 2026, and the council adopted it on June 15, 2026. The council set the 2026 property tax rate of 10.5 cents per $100 on September 21, 2026. See who is running for council
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