How Atwater is run
Who runs Atwater, 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 Atwater's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Atwater
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
- Six months' base salary as severance if let go without cause (or the months left on the contract, if fewer)
- 80 hours of administrative leave a year
- Declined use of a city vehicle
- Three-year contract through August 24, 2029
- Same health and welfare benefits as other full-time city employees
Atwater city staff
112 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. City of Atwater · Jun 8, 2026
The budget lists budgeted pay by position and the adopted salary schedule. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Atwater 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 has about $21.5 million of general fund revenue and $21.7 million of spending. The city manager wrote that ongoing revenue exceeds ongoing spending, and the gap comes from about $220,000 of one-time items. He called it the first budget in recent years with structural surpluses in the general fund and the Measure B public safety tax fund, and cited slow sales tax growth and rising pension costs as risks. The general fund balance is projected at about $17.7 million at year end. City of Atwater · Jun 8, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $19.9M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Resolution No. 3068-19 requires the general fund to keep at least 10% of annual operating costs in fund balance. The city also aims for a 25% reserve, and the audit says it met that goal. City of Atwater · May 12, 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
- Sales and use tax$4.7M · 22%
- Property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$4.4M · 20%
- Property tax, current secured$3M · 14%
- Administrative fees charged to the water fund$1.6M · 7%
- Administrative fees charged to the sewer fund$1.4M · 7%
- Administrative fees charged to the sanitation fund$904,341 · 4%
- Franchise tax$696,000 · 3%
- Other (property tax remainder, redevelopment residuals, interest, permits, police and fire fees, recreation and other revenue)$4.8M · 22%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$6.8M · 31%
- Fire (CAL FIRE contract)$3.4M · 16%
- Non-departmental$3M · 14%
- Community development$2.4M · 11%
- Finance$1.5M · 7%
- Transfers to other funds$1M · 5%
- Human resources$777,315 · 4%
- Other (parks, administration and city clerk, recreation, stormwater, council, Bloss House and other)$2.8M · 13%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Atwater is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCity of Atwater Police DepartmentCity of Atwater · May 12, 2026
- Fire protection and emergency medical responseContractorCAL FIRE, under contract with the city and the Atwater Fire Protection DistrictCAL FIRE is reimbursed for its actual costs under the contract.City of Atwater · Jun 8, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityCity of Atwater Police DepartmentCity of Atwater · Jun 8, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Atwater Public WorksCity of Atwater · May 12, 2026
- Sewer and wastewater treatmentThe cityCity of Atwater Public WorksVeolia Environmental Services provides operational support at the treatment plant under a service agreement.City of Atwater · Jun 8, 2026
- ParksThe cityCity of Atwater Public Works, Parks Operations Division17 developed park sites covering roughly 80 acres.City of Atwater · Jun 8, 2026
- Recreation and community eventsThe cityCity of Atwater Recreation & Community Events DepartmentCity of Atwater · Jun 8, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Atwater Public Works, Streets DivisionCity of Atwater · Jun 8, 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 | SeasideCA | AtwaterCA | Los AltosCA | Santa PaulaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 31,681 | 31,806 | 31,921 | 31,976 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $285,000 | $193,747 | $340,808 | $222,664 |
| Council member pay | $4,800 | No salary | $11,400 | $7,200 |
| General fund per resident | $1,720 | $681 | $2,235 | $870 |
| Debt per resident | $513 | $1,880 | $255 | $3,489 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,019 | $888 | $1,426 | $1,037 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.1 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 4.4 |
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). Atwater and Los Altos and Santa Paula pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Atwater publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Atwater
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe City Official Handbook states that council members do not receive any stipend or compensation. City of Atwater · Sep 13, 2019
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe budget lists budgeted pay by position and the adopted salary schedule. We found no list of pay by employee. City of Atwater · Jun 8, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund had $19,888,882 unassigned on June 30, 2025, well above the 10% minimum in Resolution No. 3068-19. What does the council plan to do with the balance above its 25% target?
- Police ($6,791,949) and fire ($3,395,881) are almost half of the $21,659,462 FY2026-27 general fund budget. How will the city pay for them if sales tax growth stays slow?
- The city reports a $28.2 million net pension liability and a $20.8 million retiree health (OPEB) liability. How much will the city put toward them each year?
- The audit for the year ended June 30, 2025 is dated May 12, 2026. When will the audit for FY2025-26 be published?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The finance department prepares revenue and spending estimates for the city manager, who recommends a budget to the council. Budget workshops come before adoption, and the council adopts the budget by resolution in June. It adopted the FY2026-27 budget on June 8, 2026. See who is running for council
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