How Hendersonville is run
Who runs Hendersonville, 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 Hendersonville's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Hendersonville
The council of five, including the mayor, sets policy and appoints a city manager, who serves as the city's chief executive officer. Brian Pahle has been city manager since Oct. 1, 2026, succeeding John Connet.
What they are paid
Hendersonville city staff
323 full-time-equivalent positions, including Water and sewer 105, Police 55, Fire 51, Sanitation (environmental services) 14. FY2025. City of Hendersonville · Dec 30, 2025
North Carolina has no statewide public pay database. The adopted budget publishes salary ranges for every job title, not pay by person. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Hendersonville 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 budget draws $3.4 million from general fund reserves on paper, but staff estimate the fund balance will instead grow by about $0.3 million in FY2026-27. The city expects about $600,000 less sales tax a year starting July 2027 after Henderson County raised its tax rate, and plans to address it in the FY2027-28 budget. City of Hendersonville · Jun 24, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $3.5M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep available fund balance, as the state Local Government Commission measures it, at or above 25% of general fund expenditures. Available fund balance was $7.38 million, or 26.65%, on June 30, 2025. City of Hendersonville · Dec 30, 2025
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
- Property tax$18.4M · 54%
- State-shared and sales taxes (unrestricted)$10M · 29%
- Fund balance appropriated$3.4M · 10%
- Restricted intergovernmental$969,055 · 3%
- Permits and fees$647,350 · 2%
- Sales and services$346,000 · 1%
- Other (investment earnings, other taxes, miscellaneous)$223,500 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$9.2M · 27%
- Fire$7.5M · 22%
- General government$5.8M · 17%
- Public works$4.9M · 14%
- Debt service$4.2M · 12%
- Transfers to other funds$1.4M · 4%
- Community development$1M · 3%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Hendersonville homeowner pays outside the downtown districts, about 52 cents goes to the city. North Carolina school districts do not levy their own tax. Downtown Main Street and 7th Avenue properties pay an extra $0.21.
52¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Hendersonville
- City of Hendersonville0.52 · 52%
- Henderson County (also funds the public schools)0.474 · 48%
- Total (dollars per $100 of value)0.994
FY2026-27 rates for a home in the City of Hendersonville (Henderson County). City of Hendersonville · Jun 17, 2026
See what a Hendersonville home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Hendersonville is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityHendersonville Police DepartmentCity of Hendersonville · Dec 30, 2025
- FireThe cityHendersonville Fire DepartmentCity of Hendersonville · Dec 30, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of Hendersonville Water and SewerServes more than 80,000 residents and businesses.City of Hendersonville · Jun 24, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Hendersonville Water and SewerServes more than 21,000 residents and businesses of the city and Henderson County.City of Hendersonville · Jun 24, 2026
- Trash and recyclingThe cityCity of Hendersonville (Environmental Services Fund)City of Hendersonville · Jun 24, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Hendersonville Stormwater FundCity of Hendersonville · Jun 24, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Hendersonville (Stormwater Fund handles street, curb and gutter maintenance)City of Hendersonville · Jun 24, 2026
- ParkingThe cityCity of HendersonvilleCity of Hendersonville · Dec 30, 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 | Mount AiryNC | LincolntonNC | HendersonvilleNC | AshevilleNC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,682 | 12,465 | 15,867 | 93,523 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $265,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $5,125 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,835 | $1,524 | $2,140 | $2,005 |
| Debt per resident | $514 | $74 | $6,745 | $2,957 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $611 | $667 | $1,127 | $821 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 16.2 | 13.6 | 20.4 | 14.8 |
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 Hendersonville publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe full FY2026-27 adopted budget book is posted on the city's budget page. City of Hendersonville
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe Aug. 6, 2026 minutes authorize the mayor to negotiate the manager's employment agreement, but we found no posted copy. City of Hendersonville · Sep 3, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's transparency page links to council agendas and minutes and to a page for watching council meetings. City of Hendersonville
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city's council page says members are paid but gives no amount, and the budget does not state it. City of Hendersonville
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Hendersonville · Jun 24, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $3.5 million on June 30, 2025, and available fund balance was 26.65% of spending against a 25% target. The FY2026-27 budget appropriates $3.4 million of fund balance. How much does the city expect to actually use?
- The city expects about $600,000 less sales tax a year starting July 2027. What options will the council weigh in the FY2027-28 budget to cover it?
- Debt was $107.0 million on June 30, 2025, and debt service takes $4.2 million of the FY2026-27 general fund. How much new borrowing does the city plan for parks and a third fire station, and what would it add to yearly debt service?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council reviews the manager's recommended budget at a May workshop (May 1, 2026 this year), the budget is filed with the clerk by late May (May 22), and the council holds a public hearing and adopts the budget in June (adopted June 24, 2026). See who is running for council
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