How Corona is run
Who runs Corona, 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 Corona's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Corona
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
- Severance of up to nine months' base salary if fired without cause
- Car allowance of $480 a month
- City deposits $5,125 a quarter into his deferred compensation account
- City-paid cell phone and computer, and ICMA membership dues
Corona city staff
943 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Includes part-time staff and elected officials; 839 of the positions are full time. City of Corona · Jun 3, 2026
The city posts its labor agreements and compensation resolutions online, and its HR page links to the State Controller's statewide pay database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Corona 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 FY2027 budget balanced. General fund revenue is estimated at $243.2 million, $7.0 million below FY2026 projections, mainly because FY2026 included a sale of surplus property. The city names unfunded pension liabilities and the lack of a citywide asset management plan as ongoing challenges. City of Corona · Jun 3, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $19.9M (2025-06-30). City of Corona · Dec 3, 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
- Sales tax (incl. Measure X)$99.8M · 41%
- Property taxes$71.7M · 29%
- Other taxes (franchise, hotel, business, cannabis)$16.7M · 7%
- Charges for services$14.6M · 6%
- Investment earnings$10.8M · 4%
- Other revenue$10.5M · 4%
- Payments in lieu of services$8.6M · 4%
- Other (grants, permits, assessments, fines, bond reimbursements)$10.4M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$67.8M · 28%
- General government and debt service$62.7M · 26%
- Fire$43.4M · 18%
- Community services (parks, library, recreation)$21.5M · 9%
- Planning and development$10.7M · 4%
- City manager's office$10.5M · 4%
- Public works$6.9M · 3%
- Other (finance, HR, legal, economic development, IT, elected officials)$14.8M · 6%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
California caps the base property tax at 1% of assessed value; voter-approved bond rates are added on top. The county assessor says about 8 cents of each dollar of the 1% base levy goes to Corona's general fund. The city levies no bond rate of its own. Homes in the Alvord school district pay 0.1950 instead of 0.0900 for school bonds.
7¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Corona
- Riverside County, schools and other agencies (rest of the 1% base levy)0.92 · 83%
- Corona-Norco Unified School District (voter-approved bonds)0.09 · 8%
- City of Corona general fund (share of the 1% base levy)0.08 · 7%
- Riverside City Community College District (bonds)0.0123 · 1%
- Metropolitan Water District0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.1093
FY2024-25 rates for a home in the city of Corona in the Corona-Norco school district (Riverside County). City of Corona · Dec 3, 2025
See what a Corona house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Corona is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCorona Police DepartmentCity of Corona · Dec 3, 2025
- FireThe cityCorona Fire DepartmentCity of Corona · Dec 3, 2025
- 911 dispatchThe cityCorona Police Department Dispatch CenterAnswers emergency and non-emergency calls and dispatches police and animal services.City of Corona · Jun 3, 2026
- ElectricityThe cityCity of Corona electric utilitySouthern California Edison pays the city franchise fees.City of Corona · Jun 3, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorWaste ManagementCity of Corona · Jun 3, 2026
- SchoolsSeparate districtCorona-Norco Unified and Alvord Unified school districtsCity of Corona
- LibraryThe cityCorona Public Library (Community Services Department)City of Corona · Jun 3, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Corona Community Services DepartmentCity of Corona · Jun 3, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity of CoronaCity of Corona · Dec 3, 2025
- Public transitThe cityCity of Corona (Dial-A-Ride and Corona Cruiser)City of Corona · Jun 3, 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 | CoronaCA | SalinasCA | HaywardCA | SunnyvaleCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 159,309 | 159,866 | 161,557 | 161,884 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not current (2023) | $315,000 | $393,000 | $414,040 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $30,600 | $42,456 | $38,144 |
| General fund per resident | $1,513 | $1,228 | $1,542 | $1,872 |
| Debt per resident | $1,672 | $805 | $486 | $2,514 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $392 | $1,444 | $3,559 | $2,587 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.9 | 4.3 | 5.9 | 5.9 |
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).
What Corona 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 and an interactive budget are posted on the city's budget and annual reports page. City of Corona
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Corona
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineeScribe minutes list each member's aye or nay, e.g. the 5-0 vote adopting the FY2027 budget on June 3, 2026. City of Corona
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineeScribe posts agendas and minutes; meetings also air on Corona TV (Spectrum channel 29, AT&T channel 99). City of Corona
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no council pay figure on the council page, in the budget book or among the HR compensation resolutions.
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Corona
Questions to ask your council
- General fund revenue is estimated at $243.2 million for FY2026-27, $7.0 million below FY2025-26 projections. Which spending would change if sales tax comes in lower?
- We found no city document stating council pay. Will the city publish it?
The fiscal year starts July 1. Budget work begins in November. For FY2027 the council held a spring financial workshop on April 23, 2026, reviewed the proposed budget on May 20, and adopted it on June 3, 2026. See who is running for council
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