How Kearney is run
Who runs Kearney, 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 Kearney's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Kearney
A City Manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day and prepares the budget. The five council members are elected at large, and the council chooses one of them as mayor to preside over meetings.
What they are paid
- Three-year contract effective May 1, 2024, similar to the previous manager's, subject to annual review by the council
Kearney city staff
362 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Budgeted positions: 315 full time, 45 part time and 2 limited term. City of Kearney · Sep 2, 2026
The budget lists positions with pay grades, and the council sets pay ranges in a salary ordinance. We found no published list of individual employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Kearney 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: $4.6M (2024-09-30). The city's own target: The council's informal policy is to keep general fund balance at no less than 25% of operating budget spending. The city sets that amount aside as committed fund balance ($7.5M on September 30, 2024), separate from the unassigned balance. City of Kearney · May 5, 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 (adopted budget).
Comes from
- Sales tax$12M · 30%
- Transfer, water and sewer (electrical)$8.5M · 21%
- Property tax$6.7M · 17%
- Transfers from other funds$1.8M · 4%
- Hotel occupation tax$1.3M · 3%
- Interest$1M · 3%
- Motor vehicle tax$950,000 · 2%
- Other$8.4M · 21%
Goes to (FY2026-27 (adopted budget))
- Police$14.9M · 37%
- Parks$5.7M · 14%
- Administration$4.4M · 11%
- Fire$3.4M · 8%
- Recreation$3.4M · 8%
- Library$2.7M · 7%
- Finance$2.2M · 5%
- Other$4.1M · 10%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Rates are from the state's 2025 list of taxing subdivisions. For the 2026 tax year the council set a city rate of $0.207875 per $100.
11¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Kearney
- Kearney Public Schools0.945829 · 57%
- Buffalo County0.322408 · 19%
- City of Kearney0.188732 · 11%
- Kearney Public Schools bonds (2013)0.081394 · 5%
- Kearney Public Schools bonds (2009)0.045689 · 3%
- Buffalo County Ag Society0.024822 · 1%
- Central Platte Natural Resources District0.021738 · 1%
- Central Community College0.02 · 1%
- Educational Service Unit 100.011912 · <1%
- Total ($ per $100 of taxable value)1.662524
2025 rates for a home in the city of Kearney, inside Kearney Public Schools (Buffalo County). Nebraska Department of Revenue · Dec 31, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Kearney is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityKearney Police DepartmentCity of Kearney · Sep 2, 2026
- Fire and rescueThe cityKearney Fire Department (city staff with the Kearney Volunteer Fire Department)Volunteers plus fire engineers and staff employed by the city.City of Kearney
- WaterThe cityUtilities DepartmentCity of Kearney · Sep 2, 2026
- SewerThe cityUtilities DepartmentCity of Kearney · Sep 2, 2026
- ElectricitySeparate districtNebraska Public Power DistrictThe city owns the distribution system and leases it to NPPD.City of Kearney · May 5, 2025
- StreetsThe cityPublic Works Department (Transportation division)City of Kearney · Sep 2, 2026
- ParksThe cityParks DepartmentCity of Kearney · Sep 2, 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 | PapillionNE | NorfolkNE | FremontNE | KearneyNE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 25,127 | 26,677 | 28,350 | 34,782 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $195,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not current (2022) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,892 | $1,440 | $1,827 | $1,173 |
| Debt per resident | $3,751 | $2,354 | $4,239 | $3,359 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $0 | $-0 | $0 | $0 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 13.2 | 9.9 | — | 10.4 |
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 Kearney publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Kearney
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list each member's roll call vote by name. City of Kearney · Sep 22, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city posts council agendas, packets and minutes, and live and archived council meeting videos. City of Kearney
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no council or mayor pay in the budget book, council minutes or the council and elections pages. City of Kearney
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund plans $40.6 million of revenue against $40.8 million of spending. How will the city keep the fund balance near $9.6 million in later years?
- The general fund budgets an $8.5 million electrical transfer from the water and sewer funds, about a fifth of its revenue. How would the budget change if that transfer fell?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $4.6 million on September 30, 2024, with another $7.5 million committed under the 25% reserve policy. Is that enough for an emergency?
The fiscal year starts October 1. Departments submit requests by mid-May, the proposed budget goes to the council before July 31, and public hearings follow. The council held its budget hearing September 9, 2026 and adopted the FY2026-27 budget (Ordinance No. 8828) on September 22, 2026. See who is running for council
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