How Blythe is run
Who runs Blythe, 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 Blythe's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Blythe
An interim city manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day. The five council members are elected citywide to staggered four-year terms. After each election the council picks a mayor and vice mayor from its own members. The council passes ordinances and adopts the budget. Blythe is a general law city.
What they are paid
- The FY2026-27 budget sets council benefits at $89,800, next to $18,000 of council salaries
Blythe city staff
71 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Plus 57 part-time positions and 7 elected officials. City of Blythe · Jun 16, 2026
The budget publishes an hourly salary schedule for every job class. We found no city list of each employee's pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Blythe 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 view shows the general fund using $1.8M of reserves in FY2026-27, then revenue slightly above spending: $16.2M against $16.0M in FY2027-28 and $16.4M against $16.1M in FY2028-29. The city says it is starting to see some slowing of key revenues after the state prison closed. City of Blythe · Jun 16, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $3M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep a General Fund operating reserve of at least 25% of yearly General Fund spending, held as assigned (not unassigned) fund balance. At June 30, 2025 the assigned operating reserve was $4.77M, beside $3.70M assigned for unfunded liabilities. City of Blythe · Jan 13, 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
- Transfers in from other funds$2.8M · 15%
- Other taxes$2.8M · 15%
- Measure K sales tax$2.8M · 15%
- Intergovernmental (including vehicle license fees)$2.5M · 14%
- Sales tax$1.7M · 9%
- Property taxes$1.7M · 9%
- Licenses, permits and fees$687,300 · 4%
- Other (charges for services, interest, fines, misc.)$1.8M · 10%
- From reserves$1.8M · 10%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$6.4M · 34%
- Non-departmental (mostly pension and retiree health payments)$5.6M · 30%
- Transfers to other funds$2.2M · 12%
- Parks and recreation$964,000 · 5%
- Fire$959,900 · 5%
- Community development$783,000 · 4%
- Other (finance, city manager, attorney, clerk, council, public works)$1.7M · 9%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Blythe is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityBlythe Police DepartmentCity of Blythe · Jan 13, 2026
- FireThe cityCity of Blythe Fire Department (on-call firefighters)City of Blythe
- WaterThe cityCity of Blythe Public WorksCity of Blythe
- SewerThe cityCity of Blythe Public WorksCity of Blythe
- Trash and recyclingContractorCR&R, Inc.City of Blythe
- StreetsThe cityCity of Blythe Public WorksCity of Blythe
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Blythe Parks and RecreationCity of Blythe · Jun 16, 2026
- Animal controlThe cityBlythe Police DepartmentCity of Blythe · Jun 16, 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 | RiponCA | BlytheCA | UkiahCA | ArtesiaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 15,873 | 15,878 | 16,138 | 16,205 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $272,873 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $3,600 | $10,200 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,180 | $1,174 | $2,221 | $1,255 |
| Debt per resident | $307 | $630 | $8,424 | $0 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $392 | $1,521 | $1,144 | $292 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 6.9 | 4.5 | 20.0 | 3.3 |
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). Ripon and Artesia pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Blythe publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: Adopted budget posted online City of Blythe · Jun 16, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe city has an interim manager. We found no employment agreement on the City Manager page, the finance documents or 2026 minutes. City of Blythe
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe salary schedule in the FY2026-27 budget lists council members at $300 a month. City of Blythe · Jun 16, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Blythe · Jun 16, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $2.95M at June 30, 2025. Should the 25% operating reserve be held as assigned balance, or would a policy on unassigned balance be clearer?
- The city's CalPERS plans were $24.1M unfunded at June 30, 2025. How much will the 10-year fresh start plan cost each year, and what happens if investment returns fall short?
- Blythe has had an interim city manager for years. Does the council plan to recruit a permanent manager and publish the contract?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council held a budget study session on June 2, 2026 and adopted the FY2026-27 budget after a public hearing on June 16, 2026. The city code requires adoption before the fiscal year begins. See who is running for council
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