How Bakersfield is run
Who runs Bakersfield, 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 Bakersfield's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Bakersfield
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
- Vehicle allowance of $361.37 every two weeks ($9,395.62 a year)
- $20 per budget meeting, up to $100
- Eligible for the city's employee benefits package
Bakersfield city staff
1,984 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 724, Fire 225. FY2026-27. City of Bakersfield · Jun 19, 2026
The city posts a salary schedule by job title (last updated January 2024). It does not post pay for named employees. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Bakersfield 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's five-year forecast shows spending growing faster than revenue. The council adopted a five-year restructuring schedule to stop using one-time money for ongoing costs. The FY2026-27 budget cut 72 vacant positions, and the city plans 5% personnel cuts in each of FY2027-28 and FY2028-29; it says the structural deficit will continue unless further reductions occur. City of Bakersfield · Jun 19, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $48.8M (2024-06-30). City of Bakersfield · Mar 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 tax$128M · 29%
- Public Safety and Vital Services (PSVS) sales tax$101M · 23%
- Sales tax (city's share of the base rate)$98.9M · 22%
- Fund balance carried forward from FY2025-26$37M · 8%
- Charges for services$33.8M · 8%
- Transfers in from other funds$19.9M · 5%
- Other taxes$12.3M · 3%
- Other (licenses and permits, grants, fines, miscellaneous)$10.9M · 2%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$200M · 45%
- Fire$74.7M · 17%
- Recreation and parks$39.3M · 9%
- Public works$37.6M · 9%
- Development services$34.8M · 8%
- General government$31.9M · 7%
- Transfers to other funds$16.4M · 4%
- Other (non-departmental and contingencies)$7.1M · 2%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Bakersfield is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityBakersfield Police DepartmentCity of Bakersfield
- FireThe cityBakersfield Fire DepartmentCity of Bakersfield
- Emergency medical responseThe cityBakersfield Fire DepartmentCity of Bakersfield
- WaterThe cityCity of Bakersfield Water Resources (domestic water service area), operated under an agreement with California Water ServiceCity of Bakersfield
- Sewer and wastewater treatmentThe cityCity of BakersfieldCity of Bakersfield
- StreetsThe cityCity of Bakersfield Public WorksCity of Bakersfield
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Bakersfield Recreation and ParksCity of Bakersfield
- AirportThe cityBakersfield Municipal Airpark (general aviation, city-run)City of Bakersfield
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 | StocktonCA | AnaheimCA | BakersfieldCA | OaklandCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 322,436 | 340,433 | 422,853 | 429,591 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $390,277 | Not confirmed | $240,001 | $404,823 |
| Council member pay | $30,833 | Not confirmed | $1,200 | $114,243 |
| General fund per resident | $1,068 | $1,685 | $1,045 | $1,904 |
| Debt per resident | $1,377 | $5,185 | $248 | $1,930 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,061 | $2,444 | $1,336 | $4,131 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.6 | 6.2 | 4.7 | 5.7 |
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 Bakersfield publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Audited financial report filed on timeThe audit of the year ended June 30, 2024 is dated March 31, 2026, 21 months later. No FY2024-25 audited report was posted. City of Bakersfield
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Bakersfield
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe did not find the city manager's employment agreement online. The city's salary schedule lists the city manager's hourly pay. City of Bakersfield
- No: Council votes recorded member by member onlineThe city's NovusAGENDA site posts agendas, but for the meeting we checked (Jan. 10, 2024) it says minutes have not been generated. City of Bakersfield
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city's salary schedule lists council members at 100 and the mayor at 919.54, without saying the pay period. City of Bakersfield
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe city posts a salary schedule with pay ranges for every job title, effective Jan. 1, 2024. City of Bakersfield
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget uses $37 million of fund balance carried forward, and the city says its structural deficit will continue without more cuts. Which reductions are planned for FY2027-28?
- The audit of the year ended June 30, 2024 was dated March 31, 2026. When will the FY2024-25 audited report be published?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager submits a proposed budget to the council before June 1, the council holds public hearings, and it adopts the budget by resolution before July 1. The council adopted the FY2026-27 budget, about $927 million, on a 5-to-1 vote. See who is running for council
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