How Lawrenceburg is run
Who runs Lawrenceburg, 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 Lawrenceburg's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Lawrenceburg
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.
City of Lawrenceburg Charter (Private Acts, compiled by MTAS)
What they are paid
Lawrenceburg city staff
Tennessee has no statewide pay database. The city does not post its budget or a salary schedule online. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Lawrenceburg 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: $3.7M (2025-06-30). City of Lawrenceburg · Dec 29, 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 FY2024-25.
Comes from
- Local sales tax$6.4M · 38%
- Property (real estate) taxes$3.5M · 21%
- Transfers in$1.6M · 9%
- State sales tax$1.5M · 9%
- Miscellaneous revenues$612,214 · 4%
- Business tax$425,000 · 3%
- Wholesale beer tax$415,000 · 2%
- Other$2.3M · 14%
Goes to (FY2024-25)
- Police$3.8M · 23%
- Fire$3.3M · 20%
- Highways and streets$2.4M · 14%
- Parks and recreation$1.8M · 11%
- Debt service$1.3M · 8%
- Appropriations (E-911, library, airport, retiree benefits and others)$1.1M · 7%
- Administration$878,816 · 5%
- Other$2.1M · 13%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Lawrenceburg is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCity of Lawrenceburg Police DepartmentCity of Lawrenceburg · Dec 29, 2025
- FireThe cityCity of Lawrenceburg Fire DepartmentCity of Lawrenceburg · Dec 29, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Lawrenceburg (public works)City of Lawrenceburg · Dec 29, 2025
- Electricity and natural gasThe cityLawrenceburg Utility SystemsCity-owned; governed by the Board of Public Utilities, whose members the Board of Mayor and Council appoints.City of Lawrenceburg · Dec 29, 2025
- Water and sewerThe cityLawrenceburg Utility SystemsCity of Lawrenceburg · Dec 29, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of LawrenceburgCity of Lawrenceburg · Dec 29, 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 | CollegedaleTN | LawrenceburgTN | Red BankTN | Lenoir CityTN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 11,499 | 12,236 | 12,405 | 12,530 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $135,574 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,625 | $1,363 | $1,034 | $1,320 |
| Debt per resident | $413 | $2,882 | $140 | $10,963 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $102 | $572 | $129 | $370 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | — | 6.8 | — |
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). Collegedale pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Lawrenceburg publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Adopted budget posted onlineThe council adopted the FY2026-27 budget ordinance on May 28, 2026. We found no posted copy on the city website. City of Lawrenceburg · May 28, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no posted contract or pay resolution for the city administrator. City of Lawrenceburg
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of Lawrenceburg Charter (Private Acts, compiled by MTAS)
- No: Employee pay publishedThe city does not post its budget or a salary schedule online. Its administration page lists staff without pay. City of Lawrenceburg
Questions to ask your council
- In FY2024-25 general fund spending was $19,598,475 against revenue of $14,715,860. Which of those costs were one-time projects?
- The FY2026-27 budget ordinance was adopted May 28, 2026. Will the city post the budget document online?
- Retiree health benefits carry an unfunded liability of $10,134,184 with no assets set aside. Does the city plan to start funding it?
Fiscal year starts July 1. The city administrator must prepare the budget at least 60 days before. In 2026 he presented it April 23; the council passed the budget ordinance on first reading May 14 and, after a public hearing, on second reading May 28. See who is running for council
Help decide what comes next
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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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