How Clemson is run
Who runs Clemson, 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 Clemson's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Clemson
Clemson uses South Carolina's council form of government. The mayor and six council members make up the city council, which passes ordinances and adopts the budget. The council appoints a City Administrator, David "Andy" Blondeau, as the city's chief administrative officer.
What they are paid
- $500 a month vehicle allowance instead of a city car
- Same cost-of-living and across-the-board raises as other city employees
- Severance if removed without cause: six months' pay, plus one month each January from 2023, up to 12 months
- Ending the contract takes a two-thirds vote of council
Clemson city staff
227 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. 219 full-time and 8 part-time positions in the FY2026-27 budget, up from 221 in FY2025-26. City of Clemson · Jun 15, 2026
The budget lists positions by department. A payroll report with pay by employee, released for a records request, is posted in the city's Document Center. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Clemson 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 FY2026-27 general fund budget plans $29,703,100 of revenue and $39,319,500 of spending, and covers the $9,616,400 gap from reserves set aside for Abernathy Park and other projects. The budget projects the general fund balance at $16,693,334 at the end of the year. The posted budget has no multi-year forecast. City of Clemson · Jun 15, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $16.5M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Council's goal is unrestricted general fund balance (committed, assigned and unassigned) of six months of regular general fund operating expenditures. City of Clemson · Dec 18, 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
- Taxes$17.6M · 45%
- Use of fund balance$9.6M · 24%
- Licenses and permits$4.2M · 11%
- Transfers and other financing sources$3.7M · 9%
- Intergovernmental$2.8M · 7%
- Charges for services$746,200 · 2%
- Contributions and donations$500,000 · 1%
- Other (fines, miscellaneous)$203,400 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety$10.2M · 26%
- Culture and recreation$9.5M · 24%
- General government$8.2M · 21%
- Public works$7.7M · 20%
- Transfers to other funds$1.8M · 5%
- Housing and development$1.4M · 4%
- Other (municipal court, debt service)$481,400 · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Rates are mills per $1,000 of assessed value. An owner-occupied home is assessed at 4% of market value. A local option sales tax credit from Pickens County lowers the city and county parts of the bill.
44¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Clemson
- City of Clemson92.9 · 44%
- Pickens County65.2 · 31%
- School District of Pickens County52 · 25%
- Total (mills)210.1
FY2026-27 millage for an owner-occupied home in the City of Clemson (Pickens County). City of Clemson · Jun 15, 2026
See what a Clemson house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Clemson is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityClemson Police DepartmentCity of Clemson · Jun 15, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityClemson Police DepartmentJailer/911 operators work in the police Support Services division.City of Clemson · Jun 15, 2026
- FireAnother agencyClemson University Fire DepartmentThe city contracts with Clemson University and owns fire station #2 on Issaqueena Trail.City of Clemson · Jun 15, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Clemson Water FundCity of Clemson · Jun 15, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Clemson Sewer FundCity of Clemson · Jun 15, 2026
- Trash collectionThe cityCity of Clemson Sanitation Division (Public Works)City of Clemson · Jun 15, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Clemson Parks and RecreationCity of Clemson · Jun 15, 2026
- SchoolsSeparate districtSchool District of Pickens CountyCity of Clemson · Jun 15, 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 | HardeevilleSC | ClemsonSC | HanahanSC | GreenwoodSC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 16,459 | 18,941 | 22,415 | 22,745 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $185,000 | Not current (2021) | Not confirmed | Not current (2022) |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $2,937 | $2,076 | $920 | $1,017 |
| Debt per resident | $974 | $2,730 | $545 | $40 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $962 | $944 | $469 | $541 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 12.0 | — | — |
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). Clemson pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Clemson publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineCouncil meeting recordings are posted online and linked from the budget. Minutes are posted in the Agenda Center. City of Clemson · Jun 15, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of Clemson · Jun 15, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay publishedA payroll report with pay by employee, released for a records request, is posted. Some names are redacted. City of Clemson · Feb 21, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget plans $39,319,500 of spending against $29,703,100 of revenue and draws $9,616,400 from fund balance. How much of the $16,508,827 unassigned balance at June 30, 2025 will remain once Abernathy Park and other projects are paid for?
- The city's share of state pension liabilities was $17,889,731 at June 30, 2025. How do rising employer contributions fit into future budgets?
- The City Administrator's 2021 contract set a $135,000 base salary, and later raises are not stated in a posted document. Will the city post his current salary and the ordinance that sets council pay?
The fiscal year starts July 1. Staff present the proposed budget to council in the spring, and council adopts it by ordinance after a public hearing and two readings, by June 30. For FY2026-27, staff presented the proposed budget April 30, 2026, the public hearing and first reading were June 1, 2026, and the second reading was June 15, 2026. See who is running for council
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