How Murray is run
Who runs Murray, 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 Murray's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Murray
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
Murray city staff
178 full-time-equivalent positions. 2026. Approximate count of full-time employees. City of Murray
The budget publishes pay ranges by grade and lists director positions by grade. We found no list of individual employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Murray 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 against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $21.2M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: We found no minimum reserve rule. The FY2027 budget sets aside $617,587 of general fund reserves for future capital needs, including a $300,000 general reserve. City of Murray · Mar 26, 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
- Grants and special fund sources$12.5M · 47%
- Occupational license tax$4.8M · 18%
- Property taxes$3.8M · 14%
- Insurance premium tax$2.4M · 9%
- Other operating revenue$1.3M · 5%
- Other fund sources (incl. utility transfers)$1.1M · 4%
- Business licenses and vehicle tax$830,000 · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Grant-funded and special projects$13.8M · 53%
- Fire$4.5M · 17%
- Police$3.6M · 14%
- Streets$1.6M · 6%
- Administration$1.4M · 5%
- Local allocations$569,300 · 2%
- Other (planning, IT, engineering)$781,775 · 3%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Murray homeowner in the Murray Independent school district pays, about 23 cents goes to the city and about 51 cents to the schools. Homes in the Calloway County school district pay the county school rate of 43.9 cents instead.
23¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Murray
- Murray Independent Schools70 · 51%
- City of Murray31.11 · 23%
- Calloway County Fiscal Court14.1 · 10%
- State of Kentucky10.6 · 8%
- Library4.8 · 4%
- Health department2.8 · 2%
- Extension services2.5 · 2%
- Soil conservation0.5 · <1%
- Total (cents per $100 of assessed value)136.41
2025 property tax rates for a home in the city of Murray (Calloway County), Murray Independent schools. Kentucky Department of Revenue
Who provides your services
Not everything in Murray is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityMurray Police DepartmentCity of Murray · Mar 26, 2026
- FireThe cityMurray Fire DepartmentCity of Murray · Mar 26, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity Street DepartmentCity of Murray · Mar 26, 2026
- Planning and zoningThe cityCity Planning DepartmentCity of Murray · Mar 26, 2026
- CemeteryThe cityCity of MurrayCity of Murray · Mar 26, 2026
- Water and sewerThe cityCity water and sewer systemCity of Murray · Mar 26, 2026
- Natural gasThe cityCity natural gas systemCity of Murray · Mar 26, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity stormwater systemCity of Murray · Mar 26, 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 | St MatthewsKY | MurrayKY | MadisonvilleKY | WinchesterKY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 17,868 | 18,964 | 19,428 | 19,514 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,673 | $1,381 | $2,017 | $1,486 |
| Debt per resident | $17 | $2,832 | $1,096 | $3,179 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $652 | $1,163 | $2,548 | $1,632 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 9.4 | 17.2 | 8.6 |
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). St Matthews pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Murray 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 onlineMurray has no city manager. We found no contract or stated salary online for the City Administrator. City of Murray
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no city document online stating council pay. City of Murray
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe budget publishes pay ranges by grade and director grades, but not pay by person. City of Murray · Jun 11, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund ended June 30, 2025 with $21.2 million unassigned. With no minimum reserve rule, what level of reserves does the council aim to keep?
- The city's share of the CERS pension liability was $22.1 million. How does the FY2026-27 budget plan for rising or falling pension costs?
- The city owed $53.7 million on June 30, 2025, mostly state loans for the water and sewer system. How do utility rates cover the yearly payments?
- Grant and special projects make up $13.8 million of the $26.2 million FY2026-27 general fund budget. What happens to the projects if grant money arrives late?
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