How Covington is run
Who runs Covington, 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 Covington's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Covington
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
Covington city staff
164 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 51, Public works 28, Water and sewer utility 26, Fire 20. 2025-12-31. Full-time equivalent employees at December 31, 2025, including elected officials. City of Covington · Jun 21, 2026
The audit gives headcount by function, but we found no published list of individual salaries. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Covington 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 2026 budget plans general fund spending $1,680,924 above revenue, including $1,582,771 of one-time capital spending, paid from fund balance. The city expects about $3,937,093 of unassigned general fund balance at the end of 2026. The 2027 proposed budget plans a smaller draw of $871,539. City of Covington · Jun 21, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $10M (2025-12-31). City of Covington · Jun 21, 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.
Comes from
- Sales tax transfer (1957 sales tax fund)$6.6M · 26%
- Sales tax transfer (1982 sales tax fund)$6.6M · 26%
- Property and franchise taxes$3.7M · 15%
- Annexation area sales tax transfer$2.7M · 11%
- From savings (fund balance)$1.7M · 7%
- Licenses and permits$1.6M · 6%
- Intergovernmental$1.2M · 5%
- Other (interest, charges, fines)$1M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$8M · 33%
- Streets and public works$4.9M · 20%
- Fire$4.1M · 17%
- Administration$2.4M · 10%
- Culture and recreation$1.4M · 6%
- Other general government$3.6M · 15%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
The city's 19.49 mills are about one-fifth of the total rate. The school board levies the largest share.
19¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Covington
- City of Covington (operations)15.99 · 15%
- City of Covington (debt service)3.5 · 3%
- St. Tammany Parish26.08 · 25%
- St. Tammany Parish School Board58.24 · 56%
- Total (mills)103.81
2025 property tax rates for a property in the City of Covington (St. Tammany Parish). City of Covington · Jun 21, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Covington is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCovington Police DepartmentCity of Covington · Jun 21, 2026
- FireThe cityCovington Fire DepartmentCity of Covington · Jun 21, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Covington Utility FundCity of Covington · Jun 21, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Covington Utility FundCity of Covington · Jun 21, 2026
- Trash collectionThe cityCity of Covington Utility FundCity of Covington · Jun 21, 2026
- Streets and drainageThe cityCovington Public Works DepartmentCity of Covington
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of CovingtonCity of Covington · Jun 21, 2026
- Planning, zoning and permitsThe cityCity of CovingtonCity of Covington · Jun 21, 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 | MindenLA | CrowleyLA | CovingtonLA | ThibodauxLA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 11,103 | 11,223 | 11,721 | 15,573 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $105,324 |
| Council member pay | $13,104 | $10,455 | $10,800 | $12,749 |
| General fund per resident | $1,985 | $1,284 | $2,080 | $2,157 |
| Debt per resident | $140 | $1,873 | $542 | $612 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $817 | $753 | $1,016 | $930 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | — | 14.0 | — |
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). Thibodaux pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Covington 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 onlineCovington has no city manager. We found no posted contract or salary for the Chief Administrative Officer. City of Covington
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe audit lists the pay of each council member for 2025. City of Covington · Jun 21, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe budget gives salary totals for the general fund, but not individual salaries. City of Covington · Sep 1, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The 2026 budget draws $1,680,924 from general fund savings. How long can the city keep planning draws like this?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $9,960,874 at December 31, 2025, well above the $3,695,894 minimum. What is the right level to keep?
- The 2026 general fund budget counts on two sales tax transfers of $6,631,809 each. How would the city respond if sales tax fell?
- The city's share of statewide pension liabilities was $11,913,890, nearly twice its $6,349,228 in bonds and notes. How is it planning for pension costs?
The fiscal year starts January 1. The mayor presents the proposed budget and five-year capital plan at the first council meeting in September, the council holds public hearings, and the budget is adopted by ordinance. The 2026 budget was adopted on November 4, 2025. The 2027 budget was introduced on September 1, 2026. See who is running for council
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