How Radcliff is run
Who runs Radcliff, 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 Radcliff's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Radcliff
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
Radcliff city staff
The pay plan ordinance lists pay ranges by grade and an employee strength table by job. We found no list of individual employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Radcliff 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
Unassigned general fund balance: $15.9M (2025-06-30). City of Radcliff · Mar 31, 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.
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police and parks & recreation departments (combined)$8.2M · 43%
- Fire$4.3M · 22%
- Capital appropriations$2.7M · 14%
- Public works$1.8M · 9%
- Administration$1.6M · 8%
- Economic development, planning and building$664,000 · 3%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Radcliff homeowner pays, about 12 cents goes to the city and about 63 cents to Hardin County Schools. The city set its 2026 real property rate at 12.6 cents per $100.
12¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Radcliff
- Hardin County Schools65.2 · 63%
- City of Radcliff12.9 · 12%
- Hardin County10.8 · 10%
- State of Kentucky10.6 · 10%
- Health department2.2 · 2%
- Agricultural extension1.8 · 2%
- Soil conservation0.2 · <1%
- Total (cents per $100 of assessed value)103.7
2025 property tax rates for a home in the city of Radcliff (Hardin County). Hardin County PVA
Who provides your services
Not everything in Radcliff is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityRadcliff Police DepartmentCity of Radcliff
- FireThe cityRadcliff Fire DepartmentCity of Radcliff
- StreetsThe cityCity Public Works DepartmentCity of Radcliff
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity Parks & Recreation DepartmentCity of Radcliff
- StormwaterThe cityCity Stormwater UtilityCity of Radcliff
- WaterSeparate districtHardin County Water District No. 1City of Radcliff
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 | MadisonvilleKY | WinchesterKY | ErlangerKY | RadcliffKY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 19,428 | 19,514 | 20,158 | 22,576 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $4,468 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $2,017 | $1,486 | $1,085 | $846 |
| Debt per resident | $1,096 | $3,179 | $0 | $0 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,548 | $1,632 | $1,155 | $826 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 17.2 | 8.6 | 5.3 | — |
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 Radcliff publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: Adopted budget posted online City of Radcliff
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineRadcliff has no city manager. We found no contract online for the Executive Officer / City Clerk. City of Radcliff
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlinePosted minutes list roll call votes by name, such as the 5-0 vote adopting the FY2026-27 budget on June 18, 2026. City of Radcliff · Jun 18, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no current ordinance or budget line online stating mayor or council pay. City of Radcliff
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe FY2026-27 pay plan ordinance lists pay ranges by grade. We found no list of individual employee pay. City of Radcliff · Jun 18, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund balance was $15.9 million on June 30, 2025, close to a full year of general fund spending ($16.1 million). The audit states no minimum reserve target. What level should the city keep, and should the council adopt a written policy?
- The city reports no outstanding debt and pays for capital from cash and reserves. Which projects does the $2,678,500 capital appropriation in the FY2026-27 budget cover?
- Only the one-page budget ordinance is posted online. Will the city post the full line-item budget for FY2026-27?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council gave the FY2026-27 budget ordinance its first reading on June 16, 2026 and adopted it on June 18, 2026. In September 2026 the council set the 2026 real property tax rate at 12.6 cents per $100. See who is running for council
Help decide what comes next
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