How Morristown is run
Who runs Morristown, 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 Morristown's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Morristown
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
Morristown city staff
309 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. City of Morristown · Jun 16, 2026
Tennessee has no statewide pay database. The budget shows salary totals and position counts by department, not pay by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Morristown 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 to use $1,049,541 of general fund balance. The council dropped a proposed 6-cent property tax increase. The budget says three new firefighters are covered by existing taxes this year, but future years need review to see whether tax increases are necessary. City of Morristown · Jun 16, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $20.1M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Council policy requires an unassigned general fund balance of at least 20% of annual general fund spending. The audit puts the balance at about 38.43% of spending. The city meets this target. City of Morristown · Dec 17, 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$20.1M · 32%
- Property tax$16.1M · 25%
- State and federal aid (intergovernmental)$14.9M · 23%
- Other local taxes$6.2M · 10%
- Use of money and property$3.3M · 5%
- Licenses, permits and fees$1.7M · 3%
- Service charges and fees$436,500 · 1%
- Drawn from fund balance$1M · 2%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public works$14.1M · 22%
- Police$13.8M · 22%
- Fire$13.4M · 21%
- Debt service$6.4M · 10%
- Parks and recreation$3.9M · 6%
- Civic support (outside agencies)$2.3M · 4%
- Other (administration, airport, planning, transfers and more)$9.9M · 16%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Morristown is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityMorristown Police DepartmentCity of Morristown · Dec 17, 2025
- FireThe cityMorristown Fire DepartmentCity of Morristown · Dec 17, 2025
- Emergency medical responseThe cityMorristown Fire DepartmentThe fire department provides emergency medical services.City of Morristown · Jun 16, 2026
- ElectricityThe cityMorristown Utilities CommissionMorristown Utilities Commission, a city utility board appointed by the mayor and council.City of Morristown · Dec 17, 2025
- WaterThe cityMorristown Utilities CommissionMorristown Utilities Commission, a city utility board appointed by the mayor and council.City of Morristown · Dec 17, 2025
- SewerThe cityMorristown Utilities CommissionCity of Morristown · Dec 17, 2025
- Broadband internetThe cityMorristown Utilities CommissionMorristown Utilities Commission, a city utility board appointed by the mayor and council.City of Morristown · Dec 17, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Morristown Public WorksCity of Morristown · Dec 17, 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 | MaryvilleTN | MorristownTN | Oak RidgeTN | GermantownTN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 32,442 | 33,517 | 35,395 | 40,001 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not current (2023) | Not confirmed | $245,315 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $300 | Not confirmed | $1,800 | $18,000 |
| General fund per resident | $1,925 | $1,903 | $2,306 | $2,064 |
| Debt per resident | $2,237 | $4,683 | $4,630 | $1,498 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $-98 | $101 | $321 | $1,647 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 11.0 | 9.2 | 13.4 | 11.3 |
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 Morristown publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Morristown · Jun 16, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe city administrator is appointed for an indefinite term. We found no posted contract or salary for him. City of Morristown
- No: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes since July 1, 2024 sit in an embedded meeting archive we could not read, so we could not confirm roll-call votes. City of Morristown
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Morristown
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget shows salary totals and position counts by department, not pay by position. City of Morristown · Jun 16, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund balance fell $2,058,951 in FY2024-25, and the FY2026-27 budget draws another $1,049,541. How long can the $20,074,876 unassigned balance cover planned draws while staying above the 20% minimum?
- The council dropped a proposed 6-cent tax increase tied to new firefighters. How will the next six planned firefighter positions be paid for?
- Total debt was $156,956,077 at June 30, 2025, most of it for the utilities. How much of the yearly debt cost falls on the general fund versus utility customers?
- The city administrator's salary is not posted. Will the city publish his contract and current pay?
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