How Burbank is run
Who runs Burbank, 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 Burbank's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Burbank
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
- $500 a month transportation allowance
- City pays up to $805 a month (one person) to $2,089 a month (family) toward medical coverage, from December 2026
- $150 a month into a retiree health savings account, and a 457 deferred compensation match of up to $150 a month
- $100,000 life insurance at no cost
- Up to $1,000 a year for wellness costs
- May join the CalPERS pension plan
Burbank city staff
1,573 full-time-equivalent positions, including Burbank Water and Power, electric 332, Police 257, Fire 144, Burbank Water and Power, water 54. FY2026-27 (proposed). City of Burbank · May 5, 2026
The city runs its own police, fire, electric, water, sewer and trash services, so their staff are city employees. The council adopts a citywide salary schedule with pay ranges for every job title. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Burbank 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 a recurring general fund deficit every year: $2.7M in FY2026-27, rising to $3.2M in FY2028-29 and easing to $1.4M in FY2030-31. Staff say the FY2026-27 budget is balanced as the charter requires, using fund balance and an estimated $5.5M of budget savings. The spendable general fund balance is projected at $27.9M on June 30, 2027, apart from $68.7M of formal reserves. City of Burbank · Jun 2, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $127M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep three reserves inside unassigned general fund balance: 5% of the general fund operating budget for emergencies, 15% for working capital, and up to 5% for budget stabilization. Together they were $61.4M at June 30, 2025. The city meets this target. City of Burbank · Jan 13, 2026
Bar: unassigned savings of $127M. Line: the amount the city's target calls for.
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$85.9M · 30%
- Sales tax (including the Measure P local sales tax)$60.9M · 22%
- Charges for services$30M · 11%
- Utility users tax$22.4M · 8%
- Charges to other city funds$19.3M · 7%
- Hotel tax (transient occupancy)$14.6M · 5%
- In-lieu-of-tax payments$11.8M · 4%
- Other (building permits, parking tax, interest, fines, business taxes, franchises, grants)$27.3M · 10%
- From fund balance$9.9M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$77.7M · 28%
- Fire and paramedics$56.7M · 20%
- Parks and recreation$39.9M · 14%
- Administration (council, manager, clerk, treasurer, attorney, management and financial services)$35.5M · 13%
- Public works$22.7M · 8%
- Community development$21.4M · 8%
- Library$11.8M · 4%
- Non-departmental$9.2M · 3%
- One-time items (mostly fire vehicles and homeless services)$4M · 1%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Burbank is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityBurbank Police DepartmentCity of Burbank · Jan 13, 2026
- FireThe cityBurbank Fire DepartmentCity of Burbank · Jan 13, 2026
- EMS / ambulanceThe cityBurbank Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services DivisionBasic and advanced life support and ambulance transportCity of Burbank · May 5, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityBurbank Police Department 911 Communication CenterTakes emergency calls for both police and fireCity of Burbank · May 5, 2026
- ElectricityThe cityBurbank Water and Power (city-owned)City of Burbank · Jan 13, 2026
- WaterThe cityBurbank Water and Power (city-owned)City of Burbank · Jan 13, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Burbank (water reclamation and sewer fund)City of Burbank · Jan 13, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity of Burbank Public WorksCity of Burbank · Jan 13, 2026
- LibraryThe cityBurbank Public Library (three branches)City of Burbank · May 5, 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 | Jurupa ValleyCA | InglewoodCA | BurbankCA | RialtoCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 105,349 | 105,986 | 106,229 | 106,809 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $290,082 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $359,195 |
| Council member pay | $7,200 | $60,660 | $25,137 | $25,357 |
| General fund per resident | $681 | $2,635 | $2,656 | $1,623 |
| Debt per resident | $89 | $2,513 | $2,197 | $1,930 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $0 | $2,165 | $3,450 | $1,660 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 1.0 | 7.1 | 14.8 | 4.9 |
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). Jurupa Valley and Inglewood pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Burbank publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no employment agreement in agenda packets back to 2025. The salary schedule shows only the City Manager pay range. City of Burbank · Aug 11, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's yes or no vote, e.g. the 5-0 roll call adopting the FY2026-27 budget on June 2, 2026. City of Burbank · Jun 2, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's Granicus archive posts agendas, agenda packets, minutes and video for council meetings. City of Burbank
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of Burbank · Jul 15, 2025
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Burbank · Aug 11, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The five-year forecast shows a recurring general fund deficit every year through FY2030-31, largest at $3.2 million in FY2028-29. Which ongoing revenues or costs will close it?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $127.1 million on June 30, 2025, and $61.4 million of it sat in the three policy reserves. How does the council decide how much to keep beyond the reserves?
- CalPERS reported the city's three pension plans $366.5 million short on June 30, 2025, with the police plan 76.2% funded. What is the council's plan and timeline to close that gap?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The proposed budget came out April 30, 2026; the council reviewed it on May 5 and May 19 and adopted it 5-0 after a public hearing on June 2, 2026. The charter requires adoption by June 30. See who is running for council
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