How Banning is run
Who runs Banning, 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 Banning's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Banning
Banning is a general law city run by an elected five-member council. The council appoints a city manager, who leads city operations and carries out council policy, and each year it picks one of its members as mayor. The city clerk and treasurer are also elected.
What they are paid
- Five-year term starting Feb. 25, 2026
- City-paid 457 deferred compensation equal to 5% of base salary
- CalPERS classic member pension (2% at 60)
- Cafeteria benefit of up to $20,000 a year for health coverage
- $250 a month car allowance, plus $250 a month for a master's degree
- Each year: 160 hours vacation, 96 hours sick leave, 98 hours executive leave
Banning city staff
184 full-time-equivalent positions, including General fund 85, Utilities and other funds 100. FY2026-27. City of Banning · Sep 22, 2026
The city publishes salary ranges for each job class in salary schedules attached to council agendas. We did not find a list of what each employee was paid. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Banning 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 manager's budget message says the general fund has had operating deficits in every one of the last seven years, often covered by one-time money. The FY2026-27 budget cuts 67.75 general fund positions (44%) to live within about $33.0 million of revenue. It does not fix the general fund's negative fund balance of about $1 million or the $9.8 million negative balance in the internal service funds; that is left to Phase 2 of the city's Workout Plan. City of Banning · Sep 22, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $-7.2M (2024-06-30). That means every dollar the general fund has saved is set aside in a named reserve or category, not that it has no savings. The city's own target: General fund balance available for emergencies and cash needs should be at least 17% of the annual operating budget, with a target of 17% to 30%. The budget message says the policy is not being met. The city is below this target. City of Banning · Dec 22, 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
- Property taxes$10.7M · 32%
- Sales and use taxes$6M · 18%
- Charges for services$3M · 9%
- Other taxes$2.3M · 7%
- Licenses and permits$2M · 6%
- State and federal aid$1.9M · 6%
- Franchise fees$1.7M · 5%
- Solid waste franchise revenue$1.7M · 5%
- Other (transfers, internal charges, programs, fines)$3.7M · 11%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$11.3M · 34%
- Internal service charges (insurance, fleet, IT, billing)$5.5M · 17%
- Fire (CAL FIRE contract)$5M · 15%
- Engineering$1.9M · 6%
- Finance (fiscal services)$1.4M · 4%
- Building and safety$1M · 3%
- City attorney$1M · 3%
- Police dispatch$980,120 · 3%
- Other departments$5.1M · 15%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Banning is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- Fire protectionContractorCAL FIRE Riverside County DivisionCity of Banning · Jun 23, 2026
- ElectricityThe cityBanning Electric UtilityCity of Banning · Dec 22, 2025
- Trash and recyclingContractorWaste Management of the Inland EmpireFranchise agreement effective July 1, 2021.City of Banning · Jun 23, 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 | BanningCA | Foster CityCA | GoletaCA | BurlingameCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 32,323 | 32,364 | 32,409 | 32,438 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $311,955 | $365,448 | $342,035 | $349,312 |
| Council member pay | $11,400 | $5,952 | $68,768 | $11,742 |
| General fund per resident | $1,021 | $2,173 | $1,900 | $2,863 |
| Debt per resident | $1,296 | $6,529 | $1,310 | $2,929 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,527 | $2,790 | $162 | $2,682 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 6.3 | 3.9 | 7.3 |
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). Banning and Foster City and Goleta and Burlingame pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Banning 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 latest audit posted is for the year ended June 30, 2024, dated Dec. 22, 2025. The FY2024-25 audit was not on the city's financial reports page. City of Banning
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineElizabeth Gibbs's employment agreement and a summary of its pay and benefits are attached to the Feb. 24, 2026 council agenda. City of Banning · Feb 24, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Banning · Dec 9, 2025
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe Granicus portal posts agendas, agenda packets, minutes and video for council and commission meetings. City of Banning
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe executive and city officials salary schedule lists council member pay of $950 a month. City of Banning · Oct 7, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Banning · Oct 13, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 budget cuts 67.75 general fund positions, 44% of the total, to match about $33.0 million in expected revenue. Which services will residents notice first, and how will the council track the effect?
- The general fund's unassigned balance was below zero on June 30, 2024, against a policy of at least 17% of the operating budget. What timeline does Phase 2 of the Workout Plan set to meet the policy?
- The audit for the year ended June 30, 2024 is dated Dec. 22, 2025. When will the audits for FY2024-25 and FY2025-26 be finished?
- The city's two CalPERS plans were $49.4 million short on June 30, 2025, and 73.3% funded. How will pension payments be kept up while staffing is cut?
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