How Oak Ridge is run
Who runs Oak Ridge, 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 Oak Ridge's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Oak Ridge
A city manager appointed by the seven-member City Council runs the city day to day and appoints all other employees except the city attorney. The council elects one of its members as mayor, who presides and votes but has no regular administrative duties.
What they are paid
- Contract runs to November 1, 2030.
- Reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses under council rules.
Oak Ridge city staff
474 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public works 106, Police 98, Fire 76, General government 67. FY2026-27. Budgeted full-time equivalent positions, all city funds. City of Oak Ridge · Jun 15, 2026
Tennessee has no statewide public pay database for cities, and the budget lists positions by department without pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Oak Ridge 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: $24.2M (2025-06-30). City of Oak Ridge · Jan 14, 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 FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Property taxes$24.1M · 29%
- Local sales taxes$18.9M · 23%
- Grants$10.1M · 12%
- Transfers in (utilities and debt service fund)$6.4M · 8%
- Other local taxes and in-lieu payments$5.2M · 6%
- State shared taxes$5M · 6%
- Draw on fund balance$5M · 6%
- Other$6.9M · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Transfer to Oak Ridge Schools$15.5M · 19%
- Fire$13.3M · 16%
- Police$10.7M · 13%
- Grant-funded projects$10M · 12%
- Recreation and parks$7.7M · 9%
- General government$7.6M · 9%
- Other transfers (debt, capital, streets, trash)$7.3M · 9%
- Other (public works, planning, library)$9.4M · 12%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar an Oak Ridge owner in Anderson County paid in FY2025-26, about 49 cents went to the city and 51 cents to the county. The city funds Oak Ridge Schools, so there is no separate school rate. The city kept its $1.3784 rate for FY2026-27.
49¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Oak Ridge
- Anderson County1.40656 · 51%
- City of Oak Ridge1.3784 · 49%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)2.78496
FY2025-26 rates for a property in the Anderson County part of Oak Ridge. City of Oak Ridge · Jun 15, 2026
See what a Oak Ridge home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Oak Ridge is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityOak Ridge Police DepartmentCity of Oak Ridge · Jan 14, 2026
- FireThe cityOak Ridge Fire DepartmentCity of Oak Ridge · Jan 14, 2026
- ElectricityThe cityOak Ridge Electric DepartmentCity of Oak Ridge · Jan 14, 2026
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of Oak RidgeCity of Oak Ridge · Jan 14, 2026
- Trash collectionThe cityCity of Oak Ridge (solid waste fund)City of Oak Ridge · Jan 14, 2026
- LibraryThe cityOak Ridge Public LibraryCity of Oak Ridge · Jan 14, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Oak RidgeCity of Oak Ridge · Jan 14, 2026
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 Oak Ridge publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Oak Ridge · Sep 11, 2023
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Oak Ridge
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city charter sets council pay at $150 a month, plus $150 a month for the mayor. City of Oak Ridge Charter (updated December 2024) · Dec 1, 2024
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget personnel schedule lists positions by department but not pay. We found no salary list on the city site. City of Oak Ridge · Jun 15, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund sends $15.5M a year to Oak Ridge Schools. How is that amount set, and is it expected to change?
- The FY2025 audit found that no internal financial or budget reports reached the council in the first half of the year. What has changed since?
- The city carries $163.9M of bonds and notes and plans another issue. How much of the new debt will the general fund repay?
The fiscal year starts July 1. Capital planning begins in December, the city manager proposes the budget by early June, and the council holds work sessions and a public hearing. The council adopted the FY2027 budget and tax rate on June 8, 2026. See who is running for council
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