How Paducah is run
Who runs Paducah, 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 Paducah's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Paducah
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The council sets policy, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Paducah city staff
346 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 89, Fire 79, Public Works 36, Solid Waste 25, 911 dispatch 23. FY2026-27. Budgeted full-time positions across all funds in FY2026-27, down 9 from FY2025-26. The count includes the 5 elected officials. City of Paducah · Jun 9, 2026
The budget lists positions by department. We found no published pay ranges or list of individual employee pay from the city. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Paducah 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
City Manager Daron Jordan said revenues remain stable with modest growth, but operating costs are rising at a pace that demands discipline. The FY2026-27 general fund budget is about $51.9 million, and the city recommended raising its general fund reserve target from 10 percent to 25 percent. The budget lists more than $15.5 million of unfunded capital needs, including City Hall stabilization, a future police station and the future replacement of Fire Station #4. City of Paducah · Jun 9, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $25.7M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: City policy in FY2025 required at least 10% of budgeted general fund spending to stay undesignated, $5.8M. The city then recommended raising the general fund reserve target to 25 percent for FY2026-27. The city meets this target. City of Paducah · Dec 19, 2025
Bar: unassigned savings of $25.7M. 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
- Payroll tax (occupational license fee)$21.6M · 42%
- Property taxes$9.9M · 19%
- Insurance premium tax$7.2M · 14%
- Business license fees$5.8M · 11%
- Interest income$1.3M · 3%
- Grants$876,000 · 2%
- Charges for services$860,201 · 2%
- Other$2.2M · 4%
- Drawn from general fund reserves$2.2M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$15.2M · 29%
- Fire$12.9M · 25%
- Public Works$5.2M · 10%
- Parks$4.5M · 9%
- Administration (commission, city manager, legal)$2.8M · 5%
- Transfers to other funds$2.7M · 5%
- Engineering and floodwall$2.4M · 5%
- Other (finance, technology, planning, HR and others)$6.3M · 12%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Kentucky values property at full market value. Homes in parts of the city in the McCracken County school district pay the county school rate (0.525) instead. The state property tax rate is not included.
21¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Paducah
- Paducah Independent Schools0.874 · 69%
- City of Paducah0.264 · 21%
- McCracken County0.106 · 8%
- Paducah Junior College0.014 · 1%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)1.258
FY2025 real estate rates for a home in the city of Paducah, inside the Paducah Independent school district (McCracken County). City of Paducah · Dec 19, 2025
See what a Paducah home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Paducah is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityPaducah Police DepartmentCity of Paducah · Dec 19, 2025
- FireThe cityPaducah Fire Department5 fire stations.City of Paducah · Jun 9, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityPaducah 911 Communication Services (a division of the Police Department)City of Paducah · Jun 9, 2026
- Trash and recyclingThe cityCity of Paducah Solid Waste DivisionCity of Paducah · Jun 9, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Paducah Public WorksCity of Paducah · Dec 19, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Paducah Parks and RecreationCity of Paducah · Dec 19, 2025
- ElectricityAnother agencyPaducah Power SystemCity of Paducah · Dec 19, 2025
- Public transitAnother agencyTransit Authority of the City of PaducahCity of Paducah · Dec 19, 2025
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 | PaducahKY | HendersonKY | FrankfortKY | IndependenceKY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 26,730 | 27,822 | 28,657 | 30,198 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $161,814 | Not current (2023) | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,941 | $1,776 | $1,925 | $511 |
| Debt per resident | $2,257 | $3,774 | $2,037 | $20 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,274 | $1,686 | $1,674 | $323 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 12.9 | 11.7 | — | — |
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 Paducah 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 onlineWe found no City Manager contract or pay figure on the city's website. Older packets sit in the city's document archive, which would not let us download files. City of Paducah
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Paducah
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no readable document stating the mayor's or commissioners' pay. The budget shows only a combined $221,489 for their personnel costs. City of Paducah · Jun 9, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget lists positions by department but no pay ranges. We found no list of individual employee pay from the city. City of Paducah · Jun 9, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $25.7 million on June 30, 2025, well above the $5.8 million the old 10% rule required. How will the new 25 percent target be measured and used?
- Bonds and notes were $60.3 million on June 30, 2025, including $25.8 million of new bonds for the sports park and riverfront park. How will the payments fit in future budgets?
- The budget lists more than $15.5 million of unfunded capital needs, including a future police station. How will the city pay for them?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The City Manager submits a proposed budget to the Board of Commissioners before July, public hearings are held, and the budget ordinance must pass before July. The Board approved the FY2026-27 budget ordinance on June 9, 2026. See who is running for council
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