How Dyersburg is run
Who runs Dyersburg, 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 Dyersburg's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Dyersburg
The elected mayor heads the city government and appoints its top administrator and department heads. The council passes laws, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Dyersburg city staff
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 Dyersburg 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: $5.7M (2025-06-30). City of Dyersburg · Mar 31, 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.
Comes from
- Taxes (property, sales and other)$18.7M · 56%
- Intergovernmental (state and federal)$8.5M · 25%
- Miscellaneous$3.6M · 11%
- Transfers from other funds$1.3M · 4%
- Charges for services$822,300 · 2%
- Other$388,300 · 1%
Goes to (FY2025-26)
- Police$7.8M · 23%
- Fire$7M · 21%
- Streets$5.9M · 18%
- Recreation$2.4M · 7%
- Miscellaneous expenditures$1.7M · 5%
- Debt service$1.2M · 4%
- Municipal airport$1.1M · 3%
- Other$6.2M · 19%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Dyersburg is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityDyersburg Police DepartmentCity of Dyersburg · May 4, 2026
- Fire and emergency medical responseThe cityDyersburg Fire DepartmentCity of Dyersburg
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of Dyersburg water and sewer systemCity of Dyersburg · Mar 31, 2026
- ElectricityThe cityDyersburg Electric System (city-owned)City of Dyersburg · Mar 31, 2026
- Trash and landfillThe cityCity of Dyersburg solid waste managementCity of Dyersburg · Mar 31, 2026
- SchoolsThe cityDyersburg City SchoolsThe city school system is part of the city's own budget and audit.City of Dyersburg · Mar 31, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Dyersburg Parks and RecreationCity of Dyersburg
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 | AlcoaTN | ElizabethtonTN | DyersburgTN | GoodlettsvilleTN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 13,689 | 14,350 | 15,906 | 17,506 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $1,800 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $3,133 | $2,186 | $2,086 | $1,289 |
| Debt per resident | $9,582 | $2,724 | $1,201 | $583 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,066 | $326 | $1,072 | $213 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 43.1 | 15.9 | — | 7.5 |
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).
What Dyersburg 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 onlineDyersburg has no city manager. We found no posted pay document for the city recorder or treasurer. City of Dyersburg · Mar 31, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe charter says the board sets salaries before each election. We found no posted document stating the amounts. City of Dyersburg Charter (compiled by MTAS)
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget shows salary totals by department, not pay by position. City of Dyersburg
Questions to ask your council
- In FY2024-25 the general fund spent $36.3 million against $28.1 million in revenue, and its balance fell $2,935,529, leaving $5.7 million unassigned. What minimum balance does the board want to keep?
- The city's own pension plan was 40.36% funded at June 30, 2024, with a $17.1 million shortfall, and the city paid 47.26% of payroll into it. What is the plan to close the gap?
- The FY2025 audit found spending above the adopted budget in the insurance reserve and debt service funds. What has changed in how budgets are amended?
- The FY2026-27 budget was adopted on June 29, 2026. When will it be posted online?
Fiscal year starts July 1. The board's finance committee reviews the budget in June (June 18 and June 24 in 2026). The board holds a public hearing and adopts the budget and tax rate ordinance in late June (June 29, 2026). See who is running for council
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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