How Georgetown is run
Who runs Georgetown, 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 Georgetown's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Georgetown
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
- The FY2026-27 budget includes $107,009 for council medical and hospital insurance.
Georgetown city staff
234 full-time-equivalent positions. 2024-06-24. Authorized positions in the 2024 personnel ordinance, not full-time equivalents. The FY2026-27 budget funds six new positions. City of Georgetown · Jun 24, 2024
The city publishes pay grade ranges in its personnel ordinance. We found no list of individual employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Georgetown 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 mayor's budget message says the FY2026-27 operating budget needs $64,921 of prior-year reserves to balance, plus just over $9 million of capital and one-time spending. It warns that occupational license fees on wages, nearly half of general fund revenue, grew only 4% in FY2024-25, so revenue projections are more conservative. City of Georgetown · Jun 8, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $26.4M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep a minimum general fund balance of 30% of estimated operating revenues or expenditures, whichever is greater (policy adopted October 2024). The city meets this target. City of Georgetown · Apr 22, 2026
Bar: unassigned savings of $26.4M. Line: the amount the city's target calls for.
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 license fees on wages (employee withholding)$22.4M · 39%
- Insurance license fees$9.5M · 17%
- Drawn from general fund reserves$9.1M · 16%
- Occupational license fees on business net profits$4M · 7%
- Property taxes$3.3M · 6%
- Ambulance (intergovernmental)$1.6M · 3%
- Kentucky Utilities franchise fees$1.4M · 3%
- Other$5.7M · 10%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$13.8M · 24%
- Fire$10.1M · 18%
- Interlocal agencies shared with Scott County$9.6M · 17%
- Transfers to other funds$6M · 10%
- Public works$3.8M · 7%
- Debt service$3.2M · 6%
- General government$2.8M · 5%
- Storm water$2.3M · 4%
- Other$5.6M · 10%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Georgetown is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- EMS / ambulanceThe countyScott CountyJointly funded; each government pays half of net costs.City of Georgetown · Apr 22, 2026
- Trash collectionContractorRepublicCity of Georgetown · Apr 22, 2026
- Planning and zoningAnother agencyGeorgetown/Scott County Planning & ZoningSeparate board; city and county share costs.City of Georgetown · Apr 22, 2026
- Animal shelterThe countyScott CountyCity of Georgetown · Apr 22, 2026
- CemeteryThe cityCity of GeorgetownCity of Georgetown · Apr 22, 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 | ElizabethtownKY | RichmondKY | GeorgetownKY | CovingtonKY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 35,448 | 40,663 | 40,883 | 41,847 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $14,837 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $2,104 | $1,105 | $1,396 | $1,755 |
| Debt per resident | $2,600 | $2,834 | $2,220 | $2,484 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,389 | $1,269 | $1,112 | $2,315 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | — | 5.7 | 8.8 |
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 Georgetown publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Georgetown · Jun 8, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document Georgetown News-Graphic · Feb 14, 2025
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Georgetown · Jun 24, 2024
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $26.4 million on June 30, 2025, more than double the $11.8 million minimum set by the city's policy. The FY2026-27 budget draws $9.1 million from general fund reserves. How much reserve does the city plan to keep after that?
- Occupational license fees on wages are budgeted at $22.4 million in FY2026-27, nearly half of general fund revenue, and grew only 4% in FY2024-25. What would the city change if that growth stays slow?
- Property taxes are budgeted at $3.3 million in FY2026-27, while occupational license fees on wages are budgeted at $22.4 million. Should the city rely so heavily on payroll-based revenue?
- The city owed $90.8 million in bonds and notes on June 30, 2025, most of it for water and sewer, much of it short-term bond anticipation notes. How and when will those notes be refinanced?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The mayor submits the budget to the council. The FY2026-27 budget ordinance was introduced on June 1, 2026 and passed 8-0 on its second reading on June 8, 2026. See who is running for council
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