How Brea is run
Who runs Brea, 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 Brea's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Brea
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
- City puts 8% of her base salary into a 457(b) deferred compensation account
- Same benefits as other executive managers, including health insurance and a CalPERS pension
- Exclusive use of a city car; the city pays insurance, operation and maintenance
- 60 hours of administrative leave each fiscal year
- Severance of 12 months' base salary, or the months left in the term if fewer, if fired without cause
- Council members elected since November 2012 are not eligible for city medical or other insurance benefits
Brea city staff
406 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 107, Fire and ambulance 74. FY2026-27. City of Brea · Jun 17, 2025
The city posts a master pay schedule for every job title (Resolution No. 2026-60) and its labor agreements. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Brea 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 budget is balanced in FY2025-26 and FY2026-27 by using $2.8M and $4.0M of reserves above the city's 25% policy. The city's five-year projection then shows general fund gaps of $12.0M in FY2027-28, $13.8M in FY2028-29 and $14.4M in FY2029-30. The budget calls this a preliminary shortfall that staff are working to close. City of Brea · Jun 17, 2025
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $31.4M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: General fund reserves of 25% of spending: a 10% operating reserve and a 15% budget stabilization reserve. The budget uses reserves above that level to balance FY2025-26 and FY2026-27. City of Brea · Dec 8, 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
- Sales tax$27.4M · 35%
- Property tax$16.7M · 21%
- Vehicle license fees (state in-lieu payments)$6.1M · 8%
- From reserves above the 25% policy$4M · 5%
- Community services fees$3.9M · 5%
- Franchise fees$3.1M · 4%
- Hotel tax (transient occupancy tax)$2.7M · 4%
- Other (transfers in, business license tax, permits and other sources)$13.5M · 17%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$33.2M · 43%
- Fire and ambulance (general fund share)$11.5M · 15%
- Community services (parks and recreation)$10.2M · 13%
- Public works$7.8M · 10%
- Management services (council, manager, attorney, clerk)$4.9M · 6%
- Administrative services (finance, HR, IT)$3.4M · 4%
- Community development$3.1M · 4%
- Other (transfers out to other funds)$2.4M · 3%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Brea is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityBrea Police DepartmentCity of Brea · Dec 8, 2025
- FireThe cityBrea Fire DepartmentCity of Brea · Dec 8, 2025
- Ambulance / EMSThe cityBrea Fire Department (in-house ambulance program)City of Brea · Dec 8, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of Brea (water utility)City of Brea · Dec 8, 2025
- Sewer linesThe cityCity of Brea (sewer utility)City of Brea · Dec 8, 2025
- LibraryThe countyOC Public Libraries (Brea Library)OC Public Libraries
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 | Morgan HillCA | BreaCA | AzusaCA | CeresCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 47,074 | 47,656 | 48,549 | 49,075 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $335,464 | $349,620 | $335,000 | $198,000 |
| Council member pay | $15,300 | $9,888 | $15,300 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,415 | $1,604 | $1,743 | $570 |
| Debt per resident | $948 | $803 | $2,020 | $152 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,293 | $3,330 | $431 | $878 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.6 | 8.5 | 7.8 | 3.4 |
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). Morgan Hill and Ceres pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Brea publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Brea
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member onlineAdopted resolutions list each member's vote, e.g. Resolution No. 2026-60. Minutes are in an AgendaLink web portal we could not read with a script. City of Brea · Aug 18, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineCouncil meetings are broadcast live online and on cable. The city links current agendas and minutes from its City Council page. City of Brea
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe master pay schedule lists the City Council stipend at $824 a month, effective Jan. 1, 2025. City of Brea · Aug 18, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe city posts a master pay schedule for every job title, adopted Aug. 18, 2026, plus its labor agreements. City of Brea · Aug 18, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The city's five-year projection shows general fund gaps of $12.0 million to $14.4 million a year from FY2027-28 through FY2029-30. Which changes in spending or revenue will close them?
- The FY2026-27 budget uses $4.0 million of reserves above the 25% policy to balance. What happens when that excess is gone?
- The CalPERS Safety plan was 66.8% funded, with $115.7 million unfunded, at June 30, 2025. What is the council's plan to pay down that shortfall?
- Sales tax, budgeted at $27.4 million in FY2026-27, is the largest general fund revenue source. How would the budget respond to a drop in sales?
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