How Union City is run
Who runs Union 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 Union City's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Union City
A seven-member city council adopts ordinances, the budget and policies. The council appoints a city manager, who runs the city's day-to-day operations.
What they are paid
Union City city staff
Tennessee has no statewide pay database. The council approved a revised salary schedule on June 16, 2026; we found no posted copy. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Union 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
The FY2026-27 budget expects $18,578,274 in general fund revenue against $19,371,991 in spending, so the estimated fund balance falls from $7,801,630 to $7,007,913. The council raised the property tax rate from $1.6677 to $1.6977 per $100. City of Union City · Jun 11, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $8.1M (2024-06-30). City of Union City · Mar 26, 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 revenue (taxes and fees)$12.4M · 64%
- Federal and state$5M · 26%
- Other$1.2M · 6%
- Drawn from fund balance$793,717 · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Other (operations, schools, debt, capital)$12.1M · 63%
- Salaries$7.3M · 37%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Union City is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityUnion City Police DepartmentCity of Union City · Mar 26, 2025
- FireThe cityUnion City Fire DepartmentCareer department with two stations and an ISO Class 4 rating. It also covers a rural fire district by subscription.City of Union City
- StreetsThe cityUnion City Public WorksCity of Union City
- Trash collectionContractorPrivate hauler under contract with the cityCity of Union City
- WaterThe cityCity of Union CityWater comes from four wells in the Wilcox aquifer.City of Union City
- Parks and recreationThe cityUnion City Parks and Recreation DepartmentCity of Union City
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 | ClintonTN | ParisTN | Union CityTN | FairviewTN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,466 | 10,468 | 10,814 | 10,877 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $157,200 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,545 | $3,110 | $1,791 | $1,334 |
| Debt per resident | $704 | $236 | $1,235 | $958 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $-457 | $-82 | $83 | $186 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 36.5 | 13.5 | — | — |
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 Union 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 onlineWe found no posted contract or salary for the city manager on the city website. City of Union City
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of Union City
- No: Employee pay publishedThe council approved a revised salary schedule on June 16, 2026. We found no posted copy. City of Union City · Jun 16, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 budget plans $19,371,991 in general fund spending against $18,578,274 in revenue, lowering the estimated fund balance to $7,007,913. What balance does the council want to keep?
- The council raised the property tax rate from $1.6677 to $1.6977 per $100 for FY2026-27. What will the added revenue pay for?
- The latest audit posted by the state Comptroller covers the year ended June 30, 2024. When will the FY2024-25 audit be posted?
Fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager must submit a proposed budget 90 days before the year begins. In 2026 the council held the budget hearing June 16 and adopted the budget June 29. 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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