How Johnson City is run
Who runs Johnson City, 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 Johnson City's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Johnson City
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
Johnson City city staff
2,181 full-time-equivalent positions, including Education 1,147, Public safety 326, Water and sewer 189, General government 126. FY2025. City of Johnson City · Dec 31, 2025
Tennessee has no statewide public pay database for cities, and we found no city list of pay by position. The audit reports staff counts by function only. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Johnson City 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
After the $27 million settlement, the city cut department budgets by an average of 5% in FY2026 to rebuild fund balance, with no staff or service cuts. The FY2027 budget plans a $1.0M general fund surplus, with ending fund balance rising to $32.4M, and a property tax rate above the state-certified rate. We found no multi-year forecast. City of Johnson City · Jun 25, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $0 (2025-06-30). That means every dollar the general fund has saved is set aside in a named reserve or category, not that it has no savings. City of Johnson City · Dec 31, 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$106M · 81%
- Intergovernmental$15.7M · 12%
- Charges for services$6.1M · 5%
- Licenses and permits$1.5M · 1%
- Other$1.1M · 1%
- Fines and forfeitures$510,000 · 0%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Transfers out to other funds$31.7M · 24%
- Police$20.8M · 16%
- Public Works$18.5M · 14%
- Fire$16M · 12%
- Parks and recreation (including golf and seniors)$10.6M · 8%
- General government$6.8M · 5%
- Quasi-governmental agencies$5.2M · 4%
- Other departments$20.3M · 16%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Johnson City is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCity of Johnson CityCity of Johnson City · Dec 31, 2025
- FireThe cityCity of Johnson CityCity of Johnson City · Dec 31, 2025
- SchoolsThe cityJohnson City Schools, run by the cityCity of Johnson City · Dec 31, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Johnson CityCity of Johnson City · Dec 31, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Johnson CityIncludes golf and a senior citizens' center.City of Johnson City · Dec 31, 2025
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of Johnson CityAlso serves customers outside city limits.City of Johnson City · Dec 31, 2025
- Trash collection and landfillThe cityCity of Johnson CityCity of Johnson City · Dec 31, 2025
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Johnson CityCity of Johnson City · Dec 31, 2025
- Public transitThe cityCity of Johnson CityCity of Johnson City · Dec 31, 2025
- ElectricityAnother agencyBrightRidge (Johnson City Energy Authority)A TVA local power company.City of Johnson City · Dec 31, 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 | BartlettTN | SmyrnaTN | HendersonvilleTN | Johnson CityTN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 56,416 | 63,321 | 64,266 | 74,943 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $237,205 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $12,000 | Not confirmed | $8,064 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,304 | $1,062 | $1,031 | $1,734 |
| Debt per resident | $1,391 | $968 | $110 | $2,754 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $617 | $-2 | $179 | $49 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 27.2 | 8.7 | 6.0 | 29.1 |
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 Johnson City 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 onlineMinutes show the commission approved Cathy Ball's employment agreement on October 7, 2021. We found no posted copy. City of Johnson City · Oct 7, 2021
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCommission minutes on the city's CivicWeb portal list the mover, seconder and each member voting aye. City of Johnson City · Oct 7, 2021
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe charter says pay is set each year in the appropriation ordinance, but the FY2027 budget ordinance states no amount. City of Johnson City Charter (MTAS copy)
- No: Employee pay publishedWe found no salary list on the city site. The audited report gives staff counts by function only. City of Johnson City · Dec 31, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund ended June 30, 2025 with no unassigned balance after a $27.0M legal settlement. When will the stabilization reserve be back at the commission's policy level?
- The FY2026-27 budget adopts a property tax rate above the state-certified rate and plans a $1.0M general fund surplus. How much of that surplus depends on the higher rate?
- The FY2026-27 general fund sends $31.7M to other funds, more than the $20.8M police budget. Which funds receive it and why?
- The city owed $206.4M in bonds and notes on June 30, 2025 and planned $54M of new debt that fall. How much will yearly debt payments rise as a result?
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