How Alcoa is run
Who runs Alcoa, 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 Alcoa's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Alcoa
A five-member Board of Commissioners, elected to staggered four-year terms, passes ordinances, adopts the budget and appoints the city manager. The city manager runs day-to-day operations and appoints department heads.
What they are paid
- Reimbursed for actual and reasonable business and travel expenses
Alcoa city staff
590 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2024-25. City of Alcoa · Dec 23, 2025
Tennessee has no statewide pay database. The budget shows salary totals by department, not pay by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Alcoa 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 $42,886,922 in spending against $40,925,140 in revenue, using $1,961,782 of fund balance. The budget projects the fund balance at $24,754,737 on June 30, 2027. We found no multi-year forecast in the budget. City of Alcoa · May 22, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $23.8M (2025-06-30). City of Alcoa · Dec 23, 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
- Local option sales tax$15.5M · 36%
- Property taxes and payments in lieu of tax, after the schools' share$14.3M · 33%
- Business, alcohol, hotel and franchise taxes$3.9M · 9%
- State shared taxes and grants$2.3M · 5%
- Use of fund balance$2M · 5%
- Payments in lieu of tax from city utilities$1.8M · 4%
- Interest, rentals and other use of property$1.3M · 3%
- Other (fees, permits, fines, asset sales)$1.7M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety$16M · 37%
- Transfer to debt service$7.8M · 18%
- Public works (streets, sanitation, engineering)$7.8M · 18%
- General government$5.1M · 12%
- Transfers to capital projects, schools and street aid$3.5M · 8%
- Recreation and library$1.3M · 3%
- Other (agencies, retiree costs, economic development)$1.5M · 3%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Alcoa is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCity of AlcoaCity of Alcoa · Dec 23, 2025
- FireThe cityCity of AlcoaCity of Alcoa · Dec 23, 2025
- AmbulancePrivate companyAmerican Medical ResponseThe Blount County ambulance provider. Alcoa firefighters give first-responder care.City of Alcoa
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of AlcoaAbout 10,852 water and 6,904 sewer customers, many outside city limits.City of Alcoa · Dec 23, 2025
- ElectricityThe cityCity of Alcoa electric departmentServes about 32,957 customers across about two-thirds of Blount County.City of Alcoa · Dec 23, 2025
- Trash collectionThe cityCity of AlcoaCity of Alcoa · Dec 23, 2025
- LandfillThe cityCity of AlcoaThe city operates the Alcoa-Maryville-Blount County Landfill.City of Alcoa · Dec 23, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of AlcoaCity of Alcoa · Dec 23, 2025
- SchoolsThe cityAlcoa City SchoolsThe city runs its own K-12 school system.City of Alcoa · Dec 23, 2025
- Parks and recreationAnother agencyMaryville-Alcoa-Blount County Parks and Recreation CommissionA joint commission of Maryville, Alcoa and Blount County.City of Alcoa
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 | Soddy DaisyTN | PortlandTN | AlcoaTN | ElizabethtonTN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 13,474 | 13,658 | 13,689 | 14,350 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $1,800 |
| General fund per resident | $1,249 | $1,260 | $3,133 | $2,186 |
| Debt per resident | $15 | $3,150 | $9,582 | $2,724 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $43 | $-44 | $1,066 | $326 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | — | 43.1 | 15.9 |
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 Alcoa 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 posted contract on the city website. The charter says the commission sets the manager's salary. Charter of the City of Alcoa, via MTAS
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes in the agenda packets list each commissioner's yea or nay vote on every motion. City of Alcoa · Jan 13, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget shows $17,400 in total commission salaries but not each member's pay. City of Alcoa · May 22, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget shows salary totals by department, not pay by position. City of Alcoa · May 22, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 budget uses $1,961,782 of general fund balance to cover planned spending. Is that a one-time draw, or does the city expect similar gaps in later years?
- The city's own employees' retirement system was 75.15% funded at June 30, 2024, with $9,574,487 unfunded. What is the plan to close that gap?
- The charter says the commission sets the city manager's salary, but we found no posted contract. Will the manager's agreement and pay be posted online?
Fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager presents the proposed budget to the commission in mid-April. The commission holds a public hearing in May and passes the budget ordinance on two readings (May 12 and May 22 in 2026). See who is running for council
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