How Camarillo is run
Who runs Camarillo, 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 Camarillo's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Camarillo
A city manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day. The five council members, elected by district to four-year terms, pass ordinances, adopt the budget and appoint the city manager and city attorney. The council picks one of its members to serve as mayor for one year. The same five members also govern the Camarillo Sanitary District and the Camarillo Library Board.
What they are paid
- City pays the employer share of his CalPERS pension, plus 7% of base pay into a 401(a) plan and 3% into a 457 deferred compensation plan
- $500 a month car allowance
- Health, dental, vision, disability and life insurance on the same terms as other city employees
- Vacation accrues at 200 hours a year, and up to 120 hours a year can be cashed out
- Annual performance evaluation by the council each June
- City health insurance contribution through CalPERS and the city's cafeteria plan, without cash back for unused amounts
- Family dental and vision insurance on the same terms as full-time employees
- $50,000 of life insurance
- City contribution of 7% of salary to a 401(a) plan for eligible council members
- $100 a month into a retiree health savings plan
Camarillo city staff
175 full-time-equivalent positions, including General fund departments 75, Camarillo Sanitary District 39, Water utility 30, Lighting and landscape maintenance 11, Information services 10. FY2026-27. Funded full-time equivalent positions in all funds, including the Camarillo Sanitary District. City of Camarillo · Jun 24, 2026
The city's compensation resolution publishes salary ranges for every job class. In FY2024-25, 107 more people worked for the city through contracts: 69 in police, 27 in the library and 11 in building and safety. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Camarillo 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 calls the FY2026-27 general fund budget operationally balanced: excluding $4.4M of one-time projects paid from fund balance, ongoing revenue exceeds ongoing spending by $383,000. Its five-year forecast shows small operating surpluses from FY2027-28 to FY2030-31, shrinking from $1.4M to $328,463, while money moves to capital projects and the fund balance falls from $99.2M to $75.6M. City of Camarillo · Jun 24, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $17.9M (2025-06-30). City of Camarillo · Nov 14, 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$23.2M · 35%
- Sales tax$18.8M · 28%
- Investment income$4M · 6%
- Hotel tax (transient occupancy)$3.3M · 5%
- Transfers in (mostly gas tax)$2.7M · 4%
- Charges for services$2.3M · 3%
- Other (franchise fees, building permits, business tax, fines, grants, misc.)$7.9M · 12%
- From reserves (fund balance)$4.1M · 6%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety (sheriff's contract, building and safety, code compliance)$26.6M · 40%
- General government$14.7M · 22%
- Highways and streets$10.5M · 16%
- Facilities$4.6M · 7%
- Cultural and recreation (library and arts)$4.4M · 7%
- Transfers out to other funds$4.1M · 6%
- Community services$1.5M · 2%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
The city has no voter-approved rate of its own; it gets a share of the 1% base levy, which this table does not break out. The rest of the bill pays school and college bonds and the Metropolitan Water District. Rates differ slightly in other parts of the city.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Camarillo
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, the city, schools and other agencies)1 · 90%
- Oxnard Union High School District bondsFour bond rates: 0.0030, 0.0113, 0.0273 and 0.00160.0432 · 4%
- Pleasant Valley School District bondsTwo bond rates: 0.0128 and 0.02870.0415 · 4%
- Ventura County Community College District bonds0.0139 · 1%
- Metropolitan Water District0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.1056
FY2025-26 rates for a home in Camarillo (Ventura County), tax rate area 07001. County of Ventura Auditor-Controller
See what a Camarillo house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Camarillo is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceContractorVentura County Sheriff's Office, under contract (as the Camarillo Police Department)The city has contracted with the sheriff since it incorporated in 1964.City of Camarillo
- FireSeparate districtVentura County Fire Department (Ventura County Fire District)City of Camarillo
- EMS / medical and rescueSeparate districtVentura County Fire DepartmentCity of Camarillo
- WaterThe cityCity of Camarillo Water DivisionAbout 14,000 customers. Camrosa Water District and other agencies serve some parts of the city.City of Camarillo · Jun 24, 2026
- Sewer and wastewater treatmentSeparate districtCamarillo Sanitary DistrictA subsidiary district of the city; the city council is its board.City of Camarillo
- Trash and recyclingContractorE.J. Harrison & Sons, under an exclusive city franchiseCity of Camarillo · Jun 24, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity of Camarillo Public WorksCity of Camarillo · Nov 14, 2025
- Bus and Dial-A-Ride (Camarillo Area Transit)ContractorA transit operator under city contract, using city-owned busesCity of Camarillo · Jun 24, 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 | LodiCA | CamarilloCA | Palo AltoCA | EastvaleCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 68,513 | 68,764 | 69,004 | 70,575 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $285,000 | $349,196 | $435,510 | $315,675 |
| Council member pay | $19,200 | $19,447 | $19,200 | $19,200 |
| General fund per resident | $1,404 | $965 | $4,521 | $682 |
| Debt per resident | $1,591 | $233 | $5,382 | $818 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,437 | $482 | $7,311 | $4 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 7.0 | 2.5 | 15.8 | 1.2 |
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). Camarillo and Eastvale pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Camarillo publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 adopted budget book for the city and the Camarillo Sanitary District is posted on the city's budget page. City of Camarillo
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Camarillo · Jun 24, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote, e.g. the FY2026-27 budget passed June 24, 2026 with all five members voting yes. City of Camarillo · Jun 24, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineMeetings are livestreamed on YouTube, and agendas, reports and minutes are posted in the city's online meeting portal. City of Camarillo
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentA June 24, 2026 agenda report states the council's monthly salary of $1,620.56. City of Camarillo · Jun 24, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Camarillo · Jun 24, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The five-year forecast shows general fund balance falling from $99.2 million to $75.6 million by FY2030-31 as money moves to capital projects. Which projects will that money pay for?
- The city manager's base salary rose 7% to $349,196 on July 1, 2026. How does the council evaluate his performance each year?
- CalPERS reports the city's pension plan was $33.2 million short at June 30, 2025. How much of each year's budget goes to paying down that shortfall?
The fiscal year starts July 1. Departments submit budget requests in February, staff build the five-year forecast in March, and the proposed budget is prepared in May. The council held a budget workshop on June 10, 2026 and adopted the FY2026-27 budget on June 24, 2026. A mid-year review is planned for February 2027. See who is running for council
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