How Carlsbad is run
Who runs Carlsbad, 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 Carlsbad's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Carlsbad
A city manager appointed by the council oversees day-to-day operations. The council of five, a mayor elected citywide and four members elected by district, sets policy and adopts the budget. Voters also elect a city clerk and a city treasurer.
What they are paid
- 12 months' base salary as severance if removed while able to do the job, plus up to 12 months of paid COBRA health coverage
- City pays the maximum allowed into his 457 deferred compensation plan
- CalPERS Tier 2 pension (2% at age 60); he pays the employee contribution
- $1,000 a month car allowance
- $500,000 life insurance benefit
- Cannot be removed within 120 days before or after a council election, or after a change in council membership, except by unanimous vote
- Car allowance of $4,200 a year ($5,400 for the mayor)
- $100 per water board meeting (up to $300 a month) and $75 per Community Development Commission meeting (up to $150 a month)
- May join CalPERS or a deferred compensation plan; health premiums are shared with the city
- City-paid basic life insurance of two times base salary
Carlsbad city staff
986 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (full-time positions) 199, Fire (full-time positions) 125. FY2026-27. Adopted budget: 813 full-time positions plus 172.92 full-time equivalents of hourly staff. City of Carlsbad · Jun 16, 2026
The city posts salary schedules for each employee group and its labor agreements. The State Controller's Government Compensation in California site lists pay by position; we did not pull pay bands from it. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Carlsbad 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 10-year forecast shows general fund revenue falling short of spending starting in FY2030-31, because revenue grows more slowly than spending. It projects the reserve staying above the 40% policy target until FY2031-32. The FY2026-27 budget itself projects a $0.2M surplus. City of Carlsbad · Jun 16, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $141M (2025-06-30). City of Carlsbad · Dec 23, 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$105M · 42%
- Sales tax$55M · 22%
- Hotel tax (transient occupancy)$35.9M · 14%
- Charges for services (ambulance, recreation, permits)$15M · 6%
- Investment and property income$11.5M · 5%
- Franchise taxes$7.5M · 3%
- Business license tax$7M · 3%
- Other (interdepartmental charges, licenses, transfer tax, state aid, fines)$12.9M · 5%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$68.5M · 27%
- Fire and paramedics$49.2M · 20%
- Public works (streets, facilities, construction management)$26.8M · 11%
- Parks and recreation$25.1M · 10%
- Administration (council, manager, attorney, clerk, treasurer, finance, HR)$23.9M · 10%
- Transfers to other funds (capital, technology, storm water)$21.2M · 8%
- Library and cultural arts$16.4M · 7%
- Other (community development, housing and homeless services, contingency)$18.3M · 7%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Tax rate area 09000 has the most assessed value in the city. The city has no general obligation bonds, so its only part is its share of the 1% base levy, about 18 cents of each property-tax dollar here. Other parts of the city are in different school and college districts, with total rates from 1.0509% to 1.1181%.
18¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Carlsbad
- Carlsbad Unified School District (share of the 1% levy)0.3412 · 32%
- City of Carlsbad (share of the 1% levy)0.1927 · 18%
- San Diego County (share of the 1% levy)0.1576 · 15%
- Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund (state school funding)0.1497 · 14%
- MiraCosta Community College (share of the 1% levy)0.0937 · 9%
- All other agencies (share of the 1% levy)0.0453 · 4%
- Carlsbad Unified School District bonds0.0438 · 4%
- Tri-City Hospital District (share of the 1% levy)0.0198 · 2%
- MiraCosta Community College bonds0.0115 · 1%
- Metropolitan Water District / San Diego County Water Authority0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.0623
FY2024-25 rates for a Carlsbad home in tax rate area 09000 (San Diego County). City of Carlsbad · Dec 23, 2025
See what a Carlsbad house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Carlsbad is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCarlsbad Police DepartmentCity of Carlsbad · Dec 23, 2025
- 911 dispatchThe cityCarlsbad Police Department communications centerCity of Carlsbad · Jun 16, 2026
- WaterThe cityCarlsbad Municipal Water District (a subsidiary of the city)City of Carlsbad
- SewerThe cityCity of Carlsbad wastewater utilityTreated by the Encina Wastewater Authority. Leucadia Wastewater District or Vallecitos Water District serve the southern part of the city.City of Carlsbad
- LibraryThe cityCarlsbad City Library (Library & Cultural Arts)City of Carlsbad · Dec 23, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Carlsbad Parks & RecreationCity of Carlsbad · Dec 23, 2025
- Housing assistanceThe cityHousing Authority of the City of CarlsbadAdministers federal housing assistance for low-income households.City of Carlsbad · Dec 23, 2025
- SchoolsSeparate districtCarlsbad Unified, Encinitas Union, San Dieguito Union High and San Marcos Unified school districtsSchool districts are run by school boards, not the City Council.City of Carlsbad
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 | TemeculaCA | RichmondCA | CarlsbadCA | MenifeeCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 113,618 | 113,695 | 115,867 | 117,847 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $367,682 | $380,089 | $320,103 | $352,015 |
| Council member pay | $22,800 | $30,294 | $30,151 | $22,800 |
| General fund per resident | $1,147 | $2,429 | $2,152 | $882 |
| Debt per resident | $12 | $3,661 | $109 | $160 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $269 | $3,108 | $1,765 | $-22 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 1.8 | 7.1 | 8.5 | 2.9 |
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). Temecula and Menifee pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Carlsbad 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 Carlsbad · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Carlsbad
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Carlsbad · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city's elected officials compensation page lists base salaries of $30,151.31 for council members and $31,351.31 for the mayor. City of Carlsbad
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe Human Resources compensation page posts salary schedules for each employee group, plus the labor agreements (MOUs). City of Carlsbad
Questions to ask your council
- The city's 10-year forecast shows general fund spending exceeding revenue starting in FY2030-31. What changes is the council weighing before then?
- The city's two CalPERS plans were $204.6M short at June 30, 2025, and its own pension trust held $20.2M. How much more will the city set aside each year?
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