How Red Bank is run
Who runs Red Bank, 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 Red Bank's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Red Bank
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
Red Bank city staff
84 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Full-time employees in the City Manager's FY27 budget estimate. City of Red Bank · Apr 28, 2026
Tennessee has no statewide pay database. The city posts a jobs-by-grade list with salaries by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Red Bank 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 City Manager's FY27 estimate asked for a 16-cent property tax increase to $1.29, which the adopted ordinance levies, and uses about $804,697 of fund balance. He forecasts a need for another 16-cent increase in FY28. City of Red Bank · Apr 28, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $7.8M (2025-06-30). City of Red Bank · 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
- Property tax$6.5M · 51%
- Local sales tax$1.9M · 15%
- State sales tax (city share)$1.5M · 12%
- Use of fund balance$806,297 · 6%
- Loan proceeds$435,000 · 3%
- Wholesale beer tax$225,000 · 2%
- Interest earnings$200,000 · 2%
- Other$1.2M · 9%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$3.7M · 29%
- Fire$2.2M · 17%
- Public works$2.2M · 17%
- Insurance$1.7M · 13%
- Finance and administration$1.5M · 11%
- Community development$759,830 · 6%
- Parks$664,233 · 5%
- Other (court and commission)$229,709 · 2%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Red Bank is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCity of Red Bank Police DepartmentCity of Red Bank · Dec 17, 2025
- FireThe cityCity of Red Bank Fire DepartmentCity of Red Bank · Dec 17, 2025
- City courtThe cityCity of Red BankCity of Red Bank · Dec 17, 2025
- Trash and recyclingThe cityCity of Red Bank Public WorksCity of Red Bank · Dec 17, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Red Bank Public WorksCity of Red Bank · Dec 17, 2025
- ParksThe cityCity of Red Bank Public WorksCity of Red Bank · Dec 17, 2025
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Red Bank Public WorksCity of Red Bank · Dec 17, 2025
- Planning and code enforcementThe cityCity of Red Bank Community DevelopmentCity of Red Bank · Dec 17, 2025
- SewerThe countyWWTA (county sewerage agency)About half of the city remains in a sewer moratorium.City of Red Bank · 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 | 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 Red Bank 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 Red Bank · Jun 2, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Red Bank · Jun 2, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Red Bank · Dec 17, 2025
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe FY27 proposed jobs-by-grade list gives a salary for each job title. City of Red Bank · Apr 1, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2027 budget raised the property tax rate to $1.29 and still draws $806,297 from general fund savings. What would the forecast FY2028 increase of 16 cents pay for?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $7,755,823 on June 30, 2025, and the FY2027 budget draws $806,297 from fund balance. What reserve level does the commission want to keep?
- A county error in the certified tax rate cut expected FY2026 property tax revenue. What steps make sure the rate is checked before bills go out?
- The FY2027 budget plans for 84 full-time employees. How will the city keep police and fire pay competitive with neighboring cities in the FY2028 budget?
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