How Versailles is run
Who runs Versailles, 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 Versailles's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Versailles
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
Versailles city staff
The budget lists positions by department (for example 43 full-time police officers and 12 full-time firefighters) but no total position count. Individual pay is not published. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Versailles 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: $8.3M (FY2024-25). The city's own target: No written minimum reserve was found in the budget or audit. The adopted FY2026-27 budget projects a general fund balance of $760,772 at June 30, 2027. City of Versailles · Jun 30, 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 (occupational) taxes$4.5M · 25%
- Police merger payments from Woodford County and Midway$3.2M · 18%
- Insurance premium license fees$2.8M · 15%
- Reserves (fund balance)$2.3M · 13%
- Edgewood grant$1.4M · 8%
- Property taxes$933,000 · 5%
- Utility franchise fees$850,000 · 5%
- Net profits license fees$600,000 · 3%
- Other (grants, fees, cemetery, interest, other income)$1.5M · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police (countywide merged department)$7.4M · 41%
- City Council budget (parks board, debt payments, agency grants)$3M · 17%
- Fire$2.5M · 14%
- Capital projects and equipment$2.4M · 13%
- Streets$1.5M · 8%
- Other (clerk, cemetery, events, mayor, asset forfeiture)$1.3M · 7%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Versailles is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityVersailles Police DepartmentServes Versailles, Midway and all of Woodford County.City of Versailles
- FireThe cityVersailles Fire DepartmentCity of Versailles
- 911 dispatchThe cityVersailles Police Department telecommunicatorsCity of Versailles
- WaterThe cityVersailles Municipal UtilitiesCity of Versailles
- SewerThe cityVersailles Municipal UtilitiesCity of Versailles
- Trash collectionContractorRumpkeRumpke is the exclusive residential garbage contractor; the charge is on the utility bill.City of Versailles
- StreetsThe cityVersailles Street DepartmentCity of Versailles
- CemeteryThe cityVersailles Cemetery DepartmentCity of Versailles
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 | ParisKY | VersaillesKY | FranklinKY | AlexandriaKY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,130 | 10,734 | 10,759 | 10,994 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $13,762 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,588 | $1,692 | $1,233 | $1,870 |
| Debt per resident | $1,087 | $4,853 | $675 | $1,528 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,897 | $1,527 | $932 | $423 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | — | — | — |
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). Franklin and Alexandria pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Versailles 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 onlineVersailles has no city manager. No contract for the City Clerk/Treasurer was found on the Financial Information page. City of Versailles
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlinePosted minutes name how each council member voted on each motion. City of Versailles
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineAgendas, packets, minutes and meeting videos are posted on the city's Agendas and Minutes page. City of Versailles
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe FY2026-27 budget states the mayor's salary of $87,023.12 and each council member's salary of $13,762.32. City of Versailles
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget spends $2,330,830 more than estimated revenue and projects the fund balance falling to $760,772 by June 30, 2027. How will the city rebuild its reserves?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $8.3 million at June 30, 2025, and the city has no written reserve target. Should the council adopt one?
- Woodford County and Midway are budgeted to pay $3.24 million toward the merged police department in FY2026-27. How are police costs shared, and when is the agreement reviewed?
- The city's share of CERS pension liabilities was about $16.4 million at June 30, 2025. How will CERS contribution rates affect future budgets?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council held a budget work session on May 12, 2026, and the mayor presented the FY2026-27 budget on May 19. The budget ordinances had a first reading on June 2 and were adopted on June 16, 2026. Property tax rates had a first reading on August 18 and were adopted on September 1, 2026. See who is running for council
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