How Colton is run
Who runs Colton, 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 Colton's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Colton
A city manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day. The council of five, a mayor elected citywide and four members elected by district, sets policy, adopts the budget and appoints the city manager and city attorney. Voters also elect the city clerk and city treasurer.
What they are paid
- Contract runs through Feb. 18, 2028
- Council must consider a raise if another employee's base pay comes within 10% of his
- Automobile allowance of $242 a month until the new pay takes effect
- May be reimbursed for actual and necessary vehicle expenses
Colton city staff
382 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 100, Public Works and water/wastewater utilities 88, Electric utility 61, Fire 51. FY2026-27. Funded full-time positions, including the five council seats. Up from 370.7 in the original FY2025-26 budget. City of Colton · Jun 2, 2026
The budget includes a salary table with monthly and yearly pay ranges for every full-time job. We did not add totals from the State Controller's pay database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Colton 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 FY2026-27 general fund budget plans $75.4M of revenue against $76.0M of spending, so fund balance dips by $0.6M. To balance it, the city deferred about $9.1M of requests. The city says spending is growing faster than revenue, and the electric utility transfer ($18.0M, about 19.5% of utility revenue) is near its voter-approved cap of 20%. City of Colton · Jun 2, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $15.2M (2025-06-30). City of Colton · Jan 29, 2026
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
- Electric utility transfer to the general fund (Measure V)$18M · 24%
- Sales and use tax (base 1%)$11.9M · 16%
- Measure S sales tax (1-cent, voter-approved 2022)$10.7M · 14%
- Property tax$9.6M · 13%
- Property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$9M · 12%
- Charges for services$2.8M · 4%
- Licenses and permits$2.7M · 4%
- Other (franchise fees, other taxes, interest and rents, grants, fines, financing sources)$10.8M · 14%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Salaries and benefits (incl. $10.2M CalPERS unfunded liability payments)$57.7M · 76%
- Contracted services$8.3M · 11%
- Maintenance and operations$5.9M · 8%
- Transfers out (pension bond and lease bond debt service)$1.6M · 2%
- Internal allocated charges$1.5M · 2%
- Capital outlay and improvements$1.1M · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Rates from the city's audited rate table. The city's share of the 1% levy (16.8 cents per dollar) is for the tax rate area with the largest value in the city, before state ERAF shifts. About 14 cents of each property-tax dollar goes to the city. Parts of Colton are in Rialto or San Bernardino City Unified instead.
14¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Colton
- Countywide 1% levy: San Bernardino County, schools and other agencies0.83199 · 69%
- City of Colton: share of the 1% levy0.16801 · 14%
- San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District0.11 · 9%
- Colton Joint Unified School District bonds0.0593 · 5%
- San Bernardino Community College District bonds0.037 · 3%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.2063
FY2024-25 rates for a home in Colton Joint Unified School District (San Bernardino County). City of Colton · Jan 29, 2026
See what a Colton house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Colton is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityColton Police DepartmentCity of Colton · Jun 2, 2026
- FireThe cityColton Fire Department (4 stations)City of Colton · Jun 2, 2026
- EMS (paramedic response)The cityColton Fire DepartmentCity of Colton · Jun 2, 2026
- ElectricityThe cityColton Electric Utility (city-owned)Second oldest municipal electric utility in California, founded 1895City of Colton · Jun 2, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Colton Water Utilities DivisionAlso serves Grand Terrace and unincorporated county areasCity of Colton · Jun 2, 2026
- Sewer and wastewater treatmentThe cityCity of Colton Water Utilities DivisionCity of Colton · Jun 2, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorCR&R (city franchise)City of Colton · Jun 2, 2026
- LibraryThe cityColton Public Library (Main and Luque Branch)City of Colton · Jun 2, 2026
- ParksThe cityCity of Colton Public Works, Parks DivisionCity of Colton · Jun 2, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity of Colton Public Works, Street DivisionCity of Colton · Jun 2, 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 | Palm DesertCA | DelanoCA | ColtonCA | Huntington ParkCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 52,326 | 52,384 | 52,844 | 52,961 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $294,975 | Not confirmed | $336,000 | $270,000 |
| Council member pay | $37,380 | Not confirmed | $5,280 | $27,276 |
| General fund per resident | $2,151 | $701 | $1,438 | $827 |
| Debt per resident | $22 | $739 | $1,142 | $73 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $778 | $478 | $2,447 | $1,372 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 4.6 | 7.2 | 5.0 |
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). Palm Desert and Delano and Huntington Park pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Colton 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 Colton
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Colton
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe Ordinance O-11-25 staff report states council and mayor pay: $440 a month plus a $242 auto allowance, rising to $1,600. City of Colton · Nov 18, 2025
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe adopted budget includes a salary table with hourly, monthly and yearly pay ranges for every full-time classification. City of Colton · Jun 2, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The electric utility's transfer to the general fund is budgeted at $18.0 million in FY2026-27, about 19.5% of utility revenue against a 20% voter-approved cap. How will the city cover cost growth once the transfer reaches the cap?
- To balance the FY2026-27 budget the city deferred about $9.1 million of requests, some meant to keep current service levels. Which deferred items carry the most risk?
- The city's CalPERS plans were $129.3 million short in June 2025, and unfunded liability payments are estimated at $13.3 million in FY2026-27, up from $4.0 million in 2018. Does the city plan payments beyond the required minimum?
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