How Scottsdale is run
Who runs Scottsdale, 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 Scottsdale's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Scottsdale
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
- Severance of six months' base pay if terminated
- Standard city employee benefits at the 10-years-of-service level
Scottsdale city staff
2,789 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. City of Scottsdale · Jun 9, 2026
Arizona has no statewide city pay database. The budget lists positions and personnel costs by fund; the pay table is on file with the city clerk. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Scottsdale 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 keeps five-year forecasts through FY2030-31. The budget message expects revenue growth to slow to more moderate levels after strong recent years, while costs for personnel, goods and services keep rising. City of Scottsdale · Jun 9, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $286M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep a general fund operating reserve of 20% of operating uses plus an emergency reserve of 5%, both excluding transfers out. The FY2026-27 budget sets these at $106.0 million. City of Scottsdale · Nov 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
- City sales taxes and franchise fees$215M · 37%
- Reserves and fund balance budgeted for use$95.5M · 16%
- State shared income tax$51.5M · 9%
- Property tax (primary levy)$39.9M · 7%
- State shared sales tax$37.8M · 6%
- Transfers in from other funds$26.2M · 5%
- Building permit fees$24M · 4%
- Other (vehicle license tax, interest, fire and recreation fees, WestWorld, fines, cost allocations)$91.7M · 16%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$150M · 26%
- Contingency and reserve appropriation$143M · 25%
- Fire (including ambulance service)$101M · 17%
- Facilities management$29.3M · 5%
- Parks and recreation$26.3M · 5%
- Information technology$22.1M · 4%
- Planning and development services$17.4M · 3%
- Other (city treasurer, city attorney, court, library, WestWorld, human services, personnel programs and others, less $6M expected savings)$92.7M · 16%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Schools take the largest share of the property tax bill. The city's part is about 13%. Parts of Scottsdale are in other school districts with different rates.
13¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Scottsdale
- Scottsdale Unified School District (incl. East Valley Institute of Technology)3.3004 · 46%
- Maricopa County (incl. community college, flood control, library and special health care districts)2.8723 · 40%
- City of Scottsdale (operating and debt service)Operating $0.4958 plus $0.4358 for voter-approved bonds0.9316 · 13%
- Total (per $100 of assessed value)7.1043
FY2024-25 rates for a property in Scottsdale Unified School District (Maricopa County). City of Scottsdale · Nov 17, 2025
See what a Scottsdale home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Scottsdale is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityScottsdale Police DepartmentCity of Scottsdale · Nov 17, 2025
- FireThe cityScottsdale Fire DepartmentCity of Scottsdale · Nov 17, 2025
- AmbulanceThe cityCity of Scottsdale (Fire Department ambulance service)City of Scottsdale · Nov 17, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of Scottsdale (water utility)City of Scottsdale · Nov 17, 2025
- SewerThe cityCity of Scottsdale (sewer utility)City of Scottsdale · Nov 17, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of ScottsdaleCity of Scottsdale · Nov 17, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of ScottsdaleCity of Scottsdale · Nov 17, 2025
- LibraryThe cityCity of ScottsdaleCity of Scottsdale · Nov 17, 2025
- Public transitThe cityCity of ScottsdaleCity of Scottsdale · Nov 17, 2025
- AirportThe cityScottsdale Airport (city Aviation Department)More than 164,443 take-offs and landings in FY2025City of Scottsdale · Nov 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 | MaricopaAZ | PeoriaAZ | ScottsdaleAZ | MesaAZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 78,362 | 200,881 | 243,006 | 513,656 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $242,000 | $325,000 | $400,000 | $345,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not current (2023) |
| General fund per resident | $1,506 | $1,417 | $2,395 | $1,439 |
| Debt per resident | $939 | $1,859 | $3,476 | $4,269 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $357 | $686 | $1,382 | $2,018 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.9 | 7.5 | 11.5 | 9.4 |
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 Scottsdale 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 Scottsdale · Jun 9, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list who voted for and against each motion by name. City of Scottsdale · Jun 16, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no readable document stating mayor and council pay. The budget shows only the office total, $1.27 million for FY2026-27. City of Scottsdale · Jun 9, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe budget gives 2,788.56 positions and $405.8 million in personnel costs by fund. The pay table is on file with the city clerk. City of Scottsdale · Jun 9, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $285.9 million on June 30, 2025, well above the operating and emergency reserve target of $106.0 million set for FY2026-27. What is the plan for the balance above the target?
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget of $582.0 million includes $143.0 million in contingency and reserve appropriation. What would that money be used for?
- The police PSPRS pension plan was 72.27% funded, with a $138.8 million net pension liability. What is the plan to raise that funded level?
- The city manager's salary rose from $369,000 in April 2025 to $400,000 in June 2026. How does the council decide the manager's pay each year?
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