How Hopkinsville is run
Who runs Hopkinsville, 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 Hopkinsville's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Hopkinsville
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
- County Employees Retirement System coverage, at $2,500 per member; members may opt out
- Members who opt out of health insurance may get a $1,000 health reimbursement arrangement
Hopkinsville city staff
317 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 100, Fire 74, Public works 61, Emergency medical services 33, General government 26, Emergency communications 23. 2025-06-30. Full-time equivalent employees at June 30, 2025, from the annual report's statistical section. City of Hopkinsville · Jan 23, 2026
The adopted budget publishes pay ranges by grade and job title. We found no list of individual employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Hopkinsville 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 FY2026-27 budget has no tax increases and cuts the net profit tax rate from 1.50% to 1.30%, and it plans payroll tax revenue 4% below the prior year. The adopted budget shows a $23,812 surplus. City of Hopkinsville · May 5, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $19.9M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: City policy sets a minimum of 20% of the operating budget for unassigned and equipment reserves combined, with a 25% target. The city reported 38.2% at June 30, 2025. City of Hopkinsville · Jan 23, 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
- Payroll tax$21.9M · 41%
- Insurance premium tax$7.4M · 14%
- Reimbursements (mainly ambulance and 911 center staff)$6.7M · 13%
- Property tax$6.1M · 12%
- Business license (net profit) tax$3.4M · 6%
- Hotel room tax (passed through)$1.2M · 2%
- Transfers in$1.2M · 2%
- Other$5.4M · 10%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$10.2M · 19%
- Fire$10M · 19%
- Ambulance (EMS)$3.8M · 7%
- Agencies (planning, 911 center, airport, library and others)$3.7M · 7%
- Transfers to other funds$3.3M · 6%
- City maintenance$3.1M · 6%
- Debt service$3M · 6%
- Administration$2.8M · 5%
- Other (IT, parks, Sportsplex, insurance, buildings and more)$13.5M · 25%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Hopkinsville homeowner pays, about 22 cents goes to the city and about 42 cents to the county schools.
22¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Hopkinsville
- Christian County Schools39 · 42%
- City of Hopkinsville20.2 · 22%
- Christian County Fiscal Court16.7 · 18%
- State of Kentucky10.6 · 11%
- Health department3.2 · 3%
- Extension services2.3 · 2%
- Soil conservation0.4 · <1%
- Total (cents per $100 of assessed value)92.4
2025 property tax rates for a home in the city of Hopkinsville (Christian County). Kentucky Department of Revenue
Who provides your services
Not everything in Hopkinsville is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityHopkinsville Police DepartmentCity of Hopkinsville · Jan 23, 2026
- FireThe cityHopkinsville Fire DepartmentCity of Hopkinsville · Jan 23, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of HopkinsvilleCity of Hopkinsville · Jan 23, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of HopkinsvilleCity of Hopkinsville · Jan 23, 2026
- CemeteryThe cityCity of HopkinsvilleCity of Hopkinsville · Jan 23, 2026
- Water and sewerAnother agencyHopkinsville Water Environment AuthorityCity of Hopkinsville · Jan 23, 2026
- TrashAnother agencyHopkinsville Solid Waste EnterpriseCity of Hopkinsville · Jan 23, 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 | HendersonKY | FrankfortKY | IndependenceKY | HopkinsvilleKY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 27,822 | 28,657 | 30,198 | 30,411 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $161,814 | Not current (2023) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $14,000 |
| General fund per resident | $1,776 | $1,925 | $511 | $1,752 |
| Debt per resident | $3,774 | $2,037 | $20 | $1,780 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,686 | $1,674 | $323 | $1,591 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 11.7 | — | — | 10.4 |
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 Hopkinsville 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 Hopkinsville · Jun 2, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineHopkinsville has a City Administrator, not a city manager. We found no contract or stated salary online. City of Hopkinsville
- No: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes are linked through a meeting portal that we could not open with a plain download. We found no member-by-member votes. City of Hopkinsville
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document Kentucky New Era · Jan 1, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe adopted budget ordinance includes the pay plan with ranges by grade and job title, but not pay by person. City of Hopkinsville · Jun 2, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The city cut the net profit tax rate from 1.50% to 1.30% for FY2026-27 and budgets payroll tax 4% lower. How will the city cover the drop if revenue keeps falling?
- Unassigned reserves were $19.9 million at June 30, 2025, and combined reserves were 38.2% of the budget against a 20% minimum. What does the council plan to do with reserves above the target?
- The city's share of the CERS pension liability was $47.9 million. How does the FY2026-27 budget plan for pension costs?
- The city owed $54.1 million in bonds and notes at June 30, 2025, part of it issued for the city-owned utilities. If a utility cannot pay, how would the general fund cover it?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council passed the FY2026-27 budget on first reading May 18, 2026 and adopted it June 2, 2026. Council meetings are held at 6:00 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. See who is running for council
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