How American Canyon is run
Who runs American Canyon, 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 American Canyon's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs American Canyon
American Canyon is a general law city with a council-manager government. The council hires the City Manager, who runs daily operations and appoints department heads. Voters elect the mayor and four council members to staggered four-year terms. The council also hires the City Attorney and the Fire Chief, and sits as the board of the American Canyon Fire Protection District, a subsidiary district of the city.
What they are paid
- Contract runs to December 31, 2031
- Severance of 18 months' base salary plus up to 18 months of COBRA health coverage if let go without cause or not renewed
- $500 a month car allowance and $250 a month technology allowance
- The city puts the IRS maximum into his 457 deferred compensation plan each year and matches his 401(a) contributions up to 2% of taxable income
- Automatic yearly cost-of-living raise of 2% to 4% from FY2026-27
- May get a one-time performance bonus of up to 3% of base salary each year
- Reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses of official city duties
- The FY2026-27 council budget sets aside $78,251 for health insurance and $34,560 for allowances
American Canyon city staff
123 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public works (including water and wastewater) 53, Police (Sheriff contract and city staff) 30, Administration (including council) 14, Finance 9, Parks and recreation 8. FY2026-27. Authorized full-time positions in all city funds, including the 5 council members and 28 positions staffed by the Napa County Sheriff's Office. The Fire Protection District has its own separate budget. City of American Canyon · Jun 2, 2026
The city posts salary schedules with pay ranges for every job, its labor agreements, and links to the state's public pay database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is American Canyon 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 general fund budget is balanced at $34.2M. The city's five-year projection then shows spending outgrowing revenue every year, with gaps of $0.6M to $1.3M a year, and the fund balance falling from $11.4M to $6.8M by FY2031-32. The Finance Committee will meet in FY2026-27 to develop options such as contract reductions or revenue measures, which are not in the forecast. City of American Canyon · Jun 2, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $2M (2025-06-30). City of American Canyon · Jan 31, 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$15.8M · 46%
- Transfers in (mostly utility funds paying for support services)$5.8M · 17%
- Sales tax$3.5M · 10%
- Charges for services$2.9M · 8%
- Hotel tax$2M · 6%
- Franchise fees$1.3M · 4%
- Other (interest and rents, permits, other taxes, fines, misc.)$2.9M · 9%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police (Napa County Sheriff contract)$11.5M · 34%
- General government (including debt service)$9.9M · 29%
- Public works$7.9M · 23%
- Parks and recreation$2.8M · 8%
- Community development$2.1M · 6%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of the bill is the 1% base levy that Proposition 13 caps; the county splits it among the city, the county, schools and special districts. The rest pays for voter-approved school and college bonds. The city has no voter-approved debt rate of its own.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of American Canyon
- 1% base levy (shared by the city, county, schools and districts)1 · 91%
- Napa Valley Unified School District bonds0.076 · 7%
- Napa Valley College bonds0.019 · 2%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.095
FY2024-25 rates for a home in American Canyon (Napa County). City of American Canyon · Jan 31, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in American Canyon is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceContractorNapa County Sheriff's OfficeThe Sheriff's Office has policed the city since it incorporated in 1992.City of American Canyon · Jun 2, 2026
- Fire and emergency responseSeparate districtAmerican Canyon Fire Protection DistrictA subsidiary district of the city with its own finances; the mayor and council serve as its board.City of American Canyon · Jun 2, 2026
- Sewer and wastewater treatmentThe cityCity of American CanyonThe city's Water Reclamation Facility treats an average of 1.5 million gallons a day.City of American Canyon · Jun 2, 2026
- Recycled waterThe cityCity of American CanyonCity of American Canyon · Jun 2, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorRecology American CanyonUnder a city franchise agreement; also does street sweeping.City of American Canyon · Jun 2, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of American CanyonCity of American Canyon · Jan 31, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of American CanyonCity of American Canyon · Jan 31, 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 | CudahyCA | Laguna BeachCA | American CanyonCA | ImperialCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 22,234 | 22,440 | 22,619 | 22,984 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $245,000 | $337,094 | $303,000 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $14,798 | Not confirmed | $11,400 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $657 | $4,503 | $1,511 | $820 |
| Debt per resident | $229 | $1,102 | $447 | $1,195 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $195 | $3,721 | $464 | $267 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 15.9 | 5.4 | 7.0 |
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). Cudahy and American Canyon and Imperial pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What American Canyon publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 budget book, adopted June 2, 2026, and a Budget in Brief are posted online. City of American Canyon · Jun 2, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineJason Holley's amended and restated contract, effective January 1, 2026, is posted on the City Manager page. City of American Canyon · Jan 1, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each motion's mover and seconder and name every member voting yea or nay. City of American Canyon · Sep 15, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineMeetings stream on YouTube and cable Channel 28, recordings stay online, and minutes are posted in the city's records portal. City of American Canyon · Jun 2, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe municipal code and the FY2026-27 salary schedule set council pay at $950 a month. City of American Canyon · Jul 4, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe city posts salary schedules for every job, e.g. Accountant $44.90 to $54.58 an hour. City of American Canyon · Jul 4, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The five-year projection shows general fund gaps of $0.6 million to $1.3 million a year after FY2026-27, with the fund balance falling from $11.4 million to $6.8 million by FY2031-32. Which contract reductions or revenue measures will the Finance Committee recommend?
- Police through the Napa County Sheriff contract is the largest general fund cost, at $11.5 million in FY2026-27. How will the city pay for rising contract costs as the city grows?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The budget process begins in February, a draft proposed budget goes to the council in early May, and a public hearing is held in June. The council adopted the FY2026-27 budget on June 2, 2026. See who is running for council
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