How Lexington is run
Who runs Lexington, 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 Lexington's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Lexington
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The council sets policy, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Lexington city staff
The budget lists positions by department, for example 22 in Police and Dispatch. We found no published salary schedule or list of individual employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Lexington 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: $2.9M (2025-09-30). City of Lexington · Sep 9, 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 FY2025-26 (adopted budget).
Comes from
- Sales tax$2.8M · 27%
- Property tax$1.9M · 18%
- State aid and state taxes$1.4M · 14%
- Utility franchise fees$1.3M · 12%
- Service charges to city utilities$975,000 · 9%
- Loan proceeds and interest$565,000 · 5%
- Contracts and rents$557,484 · 5%
- Other$905,349 · 9%
Goes to (FY2025-26 (adopted budget))
- Police and dispatch$2.6M · 25%
- Non-departmental (insurance, utilities, transfers)$2.5M · 24%
- Parks and recreation$1.9M · 18%
- City Manager's office$689,500 · 7%
- Library$616,900 · 6%
- Development services$480,100 · 5%
- Grand Generation Center (seniors)$459,700 · 4%
- Other (pool, cemetery, fire, finance, council)$1.1M · 10%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Rates are from the state's 2025 list of taxing subdivisions. The city's own budget notice gives its 2025 tax rate as 0.319017, lower than the state's figure for the city.
22¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Lexington
- Lexington Public Schools0.877377 · 56%
- City of Lexington0.342246 · 22%
- Dawson County0.285321 · 18%
- Central Platte Natural Resources District0.021738 · 1%
- Central Community College0.02 · 1%
- Educational Service Unit 100.011912 · <1%
- Dawson County Ag Society0.007632 · <1%
- Total ($ per $100 of taxable value)1.566226
2025 rates for a home in the city of Lexington, inside Lexington Public Schools (Dawson County). Nebraska Department of Revenue · Dec 31, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Lexington is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityLexington Police DepartmentCity of Lexington · Sep 23, 2025
- FireThe cityLexington Fire and Civil Defense (volunteer)City of Lexington · Sep 23, 2025
- Ambulance (EMS)The cityCity of Lexington Ambulance fundCity of Lexington · Sep 9, 2026
- ElectricityThe cityLexington Utility System (LEXUS)City of Lexington · Sep 9, 2026
- WaterThe cityLexington Utility System (LEXUS)City of Lexington · Sep 9, 2026
- SewerThe cityLexington Utility System (LEXUS)City of Lexington · Sep 9, 2026
- StreetsThe cityStreet DepartmentCity of Lexington · Sep 23, 2025
- LibraryThe cityLexington Public LibraryCity of Lexington · Sep 23, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityParks and Recreation DepartmentSix parks, a sports complex and an aquatic center.City of Lexington · Sep 23, 2025
- Senior center and Meals on WheelsThe cityGrand Generation CenterCity of Lexington · Sep 23, 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 | LexingtonNE | La VistaNE | North PlatteNE | HastingsNE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 11,176 | 16,543 | 22,524 | 25,121 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $11,231 | Not confirmed | $5,000 |
| General fund per resident | $926 | $1,704 | $1,697 | $1,439 |
| Debt per resident | $1,348 | $4,746 | $3,419 | $472 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $0 | $0 | $43 | $3 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 9.9 | — | 17.5 |
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). La Vista pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Lexington 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 onlineWe found no City Manager contract or pay figure on the city's website or in recent council minutes. City of Lexington
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes posted on the city website list each member's roll call vote by name. City of Lexington · Sep 22, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget shows $18,000 of wages for the five council members together. We found no document stating each member's pay. City of Lexington · Sep 23, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $2,922,952 on September 30, 2025. Should the city adopt a written minimum for this balance?
- The FY2025-26 budget sets general fund spending at $10,345,066, with $2,800,000 expected from sales tax. How would a slowdown in sales tax affect services?
- Debt was $15.1 million on September 30, 2025, most of it state loans for utility projects. How will utility rates cover the payments?
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