How Brentwood is run
Who runs Brentwood, 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 Brentwood's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Brentwood
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
- No fixed term; he serves at the council's pleasure and removal takes a 4/5 council vote
- Six months' severance pay and up to six months of city-paid COBRA if fired without cause after 12 months of service
- Vacation accrues at 192 hours a year for the first five years, plus up to 80 hours of paid time off a year
- City pays 100% of his own medical premium plus family dental and vision coverage
- $150,000 of life insurance and $150,000 of accidental death coverage
- Use of a city vehicle for city business and up to $5,000 in relocation costs
Brentwood city staff
349 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public Works 114, Police 107. FY2026-27. City of Brentwood · Jun 23, 2026
The city posts a pay schedule with the monthly pay range for every job title, including the city manager and council. The council page says the city reports pay for officials and employees to the State Controller, which posts it online. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Brentwood 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.
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $24.1M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep general fund unassigned fund balance at 30% of annual operating appropriations and certain transfers. The budget reports the unassigned balance at 30.15% of operating appropriations on June 30, 2025, and plans to hold 30% in each budget year. City of Brentwood · Dec 9, 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 tax$17.7M · 21%
- Sales tax$13.2M · 16%
- Community facilities district special taxes (transfers in for public safety)$9.6M · 11%
- Motor vehicle in-lieu tax$7M · 8%
- Development fees$6.2M · 7%
- Transfer from Pension/OPEB Obligation Fund$4.5M · 5%
- Parks and recreation property tax$3.6M · 4%
- Other (charges to other funds, recreation fees, gas tax and Measure J transfers, franchise fees, other)$22.8M · 27%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police (including dispatch)$37.3M · 44%
- Parks and recreation$10.7M · 13%
- Community development$6.7M · 8%
- Streets$5.6M · 7%
- Transfers out (pavement, capital projects, parks and lighting districts)$4.8M · 6%
- Engineering$4.5M · 5%
- City manager$3.6M · 4%
- Other (city attorney, finance, human resources, council, community services, non-departmental)$11.8M · 14%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Every property pays the 1% base levy. The city's budget says Brentwood receives about 12.1% of that 1%. Voter-approved rates for the elementary and high school districts, other districts and the city's police station bonds bring the total to about 1.14%. Not all overlapping rates apply to every Brentwood property.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Brentwood
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, the city, schools and special districts)1 · 88%
- Brentwood Union School District0.0463 · 4%
- Liberty Union High School District0.0272 · 2%
- Other overlapping districts0.0642 · 6%
- City of Brentwood (2002 police station bonds)0.0049 · <1%
- Total (percent of assessed value)1.1426
FY2024-25 rates for a home in the city of Brentwood (Contra Costa County). City of Brentwood · Dec 9, 2025
See what a Brentwood home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Brentwood is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityBrentwood Police DepartmentCity of Brentwood · Dec 9, 2025
- Police 911 dispatchThe cityBrentwood Police Dispatch CenterCity of Brentwood
- Fire protectionSeparate districtContra Costa County Fire Protection DistrictCity of Brentwood · Jun 23, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Brentwood water utilityCity of Brentwood · Dec 9, 2025
- SewerThe cityCity of Brentwood wastewater utilityCity of Brentwood · Dec 9, 2025
- Trash and recyclingThe cityCity of Brentwood solid waste divisionCity of Brentwood · Dec 9, 2025
- LibraryThe countyContra Costa County LibraryCity of Brentwood · Jun 23, 2026
- Animal servicesThe countyContra Costa CountyCity of Brentwood · Dec 9, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Brentwood Parks and RecreationCity of Brentwood · Dec 9, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Brentwood Public WorksCity of Brentwood · Dec 9, 2025
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 | DavisCA | BrentwoodCA | Yorba LindaCA | Union CityCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 66,002 | 66,070 | 66,190 | 66,665 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $288,453 | $304,515 | $315,000 | $352,873 |
| Council member pay | $16,392 | $13,807 | $6,000 | $25,500 |
| General fund per resident | $1,471 | $1,285 | $761 | $1,336 |
| Debt per resident | $1,388 | $2,201 | $183 | $1,590 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,433 | $779 | $301 | $1,657 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.8 | 5.3 | 2.6 | 4.1 |
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). Brentwood and Yorba Linda and Union City pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Brentwood publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineG. Harold Duffey's employment agreement is posted on the city's Agreements, Policies, and Rules page. City of Brentwood
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote by name, such as the 5-0 vote adopting the budget on June 23, 2026. City of Brentwood · Jun 23, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineMinutes are posted on the city's eScribe meeting portal, and the city says council meetings may also be viewed on YouTube. City of Brentwood
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city pay schedule lists $1,150.59 a month for the mayor and for council members. City of Brentwood · Aug 11, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Brentwood
Questions to ask your council
- City Manager G. Harold Duffey has been on paid administrative leave since June 9, 2026, while Terrance Davis serves as acting city manager. What has this arrangement cost so far, and when will the council decide the matter?
- The city's net pension liability was $51.4 million on June 30, 2024. How much more will the city prepay toward it from general fund surpluses?
- City labor contracts expire June 30, 2027, and the budget assumes only a 3% placeholder raise for FY2027-28. What happens to the 30% reserve if settlements cost more?
The fiscal year starts July 1, and the city adopts a two-year budget. Departments start budget work in December. The council held a budget workshop on May 26, 2026 and adopted the 2026/27 - 2027/28 operating budget on June 23, 2026 by a 5-0 vote. The council reviews the budget every six months. See who is running for council
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