How Gallatin is run
Who runs Gallatin, 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 Gallatin's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Gallatin
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
Gallatin city staff
478 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 114, Fire 101, Public utilities 94, Public works 58. 2025-06-30. City of Gallatin · Dec 22, 2025
The budget shows total salaries and department totals. Tennessee has no statewide pay database, and we found no city pay list by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Gallatin 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 budget plans $83.6 million in general fund spending against $73.5 million in revenue, a $10.1 million draw that leaves a projected $55.0 million in general fund cash on June 30, 2027. The FY2025 audit said the city had no plans to raise the property tax rate. City of Gallatin · Jun 2, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $65.9M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund reserves of at least 20% of the year's operating expenses, not counting capital purchases. Unassigned reserves were 101.51% of total general fund spending in FY2024-25. The city meets this target. City of Gallatin · Dec 22, 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 taxes$49.8M · 60%
- Intergovernmental (state and federal)$12.7M · 15%
- Use of general fund cash reserves$10.1M · 12%
- Licenses and permits$4.8M · 6%
- Charges for services$3.5M · 4%
- Other (fines, interest and rents, miscellaneous)$2.7M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$18.2M · 22%
- Engineering$16.5M · 20%
- Fire$14M · 17%
- Debt payments (bond expenses)$5.3M · 6%
- Parks$3.6M · 4%
- Information technology$3.2M · 4%
- Street maintenance$2.8M · 3%
- Other departments$19.9M · 24%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Gallatin is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCity of Gallatin Police DepartmentCity of Gallatin · Dec 22, 2025
- Fire protectionThe cityCity of Gallatin Fire DepartmentCity of Gallatin · Dec 22, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of GallatinCity of Gallatin · Dec 22, 2025
- Trash collection and disposalThe cityCity of GallatinCity of Gallatin · Dec 22, 2025
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of Gallatin Public UtilitiesCity of Gallatin · Dec 22, 2025
- ElectricityThe cityCity of Gallatin Department of ElectricityCity of Gallatin · Dec 22, 2025
- Natural gasThe cityCity of Gallatin Public UtilitiesCity of Gallatin · Dec 22, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Gallatin Parks and RecreationCity of Gallatin · Dec 22, 2025
- CemeteryThe cityCity of GallatinCity of Gallatin · Dec 22, 2025
- Waste-to-energy plantAnother agencySumner County Resource AuthorityA joint venture of Sumner County, Gallatin and Hendersonville that operates a solid waste energy recovery plant.City of Gallatin · Dec 22, 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 | ColumbiaTN | ColliervilleTN | GallatinTN | BartlettTN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 50,072 | 51,909 | 54,590 | 56,416 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $12,000 |
| General fund per resident | $1,027 | $2,018 | $1,532 | $1,304 |
| Debt per resident | $2,055 | $1,758 | $1,429 | $1,391 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $688 | $44 | $7 | $617 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 8.3 | 11.3 | 8.8 | 27.2 |
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 Gallatin 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 onlineGallatin has no city manager. The elected mayor runs the city, so there is no manager contract to post. City of Gallatin · Dec 22, 2025
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Gallatin
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget ordinance shows department totals only. We found no document stating the mayor's or council members' pay. City of Gallatin · Jun 2, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget summary gives total general fund salaries ($44.4 million for FY2026-27). We found no pay list by position. City of Gallatin · Jun 2, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $65.9 million on June 30, 2025, more than the $64.9 million the general fund spent that year. The policy minimum is 20% of operating expenses. What is the plan for the amount above the minimum?
- The FY2026-27 budget plans to spend $10.1 million more than general fund revenue, and engineering spending rises to $16.5 million. Which projects are being paid for from reserves?
- City debt was $78.0 million on June 30, 2025, and the FY2026-27 budget lists $20.78 million in new 2026 general obligation bonds and a $10.0 million loan. How will yearly debt payments change?
- We found no document stating what the mayor and council members are paid. Will the city publish each elected official's pay?
The fiscal year starts July 1. Department heads send budget requests to the mayor in March. The mayor and finance director present a proposed budget in late April or early May, and the council approves it at two meetings, typically in May or June. For FY2026-27, the council passed the budget on first reading May 19, 2026, with second reading on June 2, 2026. See who is running for council
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