How Desert Hot Springs is run
Who runs Desert Hot Springs, 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 Desert Hot Springs's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Desert Hot Springs
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 6 months' salary if removed without cause, plus 1 month per two years served, up to 9 months
- Car allowance of $600 a month
- 80 hours a year of management leave; unused hours are paid out as salary
- CalPERS pension; she pays the full employee contribution
- Health, dental, vision, disability and life insurance on the department head benefits plan
- Possible incentive pay at the council's discretion
- Auto allowance of $600 a month
- Phone allowance of $72 a month
Desert Hot Springs city staff
The city adopts a salary schedule with each budget. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's pay database. Fire service is contracted from Riverside County, so firefighters are not city employees. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Desert Hot Springs 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 two-year budget adopted in June 2025 projects only small yearly gains in general fund balance, because new programs have grown faster than revenue. The June 2026 update shows a $34,398 surplus for FY2026-27, plus $307,979 of reserves used for new financial software, leaving an estimated $8.9M fund balance at June 30, 2027. City of Desert Hot Springs · Jun 16, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $2.6M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Hold 15% of yearly general fund appropriations for natural or fiscal emergencies and 5% for future operations and capital. A separate emergency reserve gets 25% of cannabis tax revenue, up to 17% of appropriations. These reserves ($4.16M at June 30, 2025) are committed fund balance, outside the unassigned amount. City of Desert Hot Springs · Jul 30, 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
- Sales tax (including the 1% Measure P tax)$7.5M · 22%
- Hotel tax$4.4M · 13%
- Vehicle license fee swap (Triple Flip VLF)$4.3M · 13%
- Cannabis cultivation tax$3.1M · 9%
- Franchise fees$2.8M · 8%
- Former redevelopment pass-through$1.9M · 6%
- Property tax (secured)$1.6M · 5%
- Other (permits, plan check, fees, investment earnings)$8.2M · 24%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Transfers to other funds (Public Safety Fund $13.1M)$14.9M · 44%
- City Manager$2.1M · 6%
- Finance$1.9M · 5%
- Recreation Center$1.6M · 5%
- Engineering$1.5M · 4%
- Information Technology$1.5M · 4%
- Building and Safety$1.5M · 4%
- Other departments$9.1M · 27%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Desert Hot Springs is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityDesert Hot Springs Police DepartmentPaid from the Public Safety Fund, with a general fund transfer as its largest sourceCity of Desert Hot Springs · Jul 30, 2026
- Animal controlThe cityCity Animal Care and ControlCity of Desert Hot Springs · Jul 30, 2026
- Water and sewerSeparate districtMission Springs Water DistrictCity of Desert Hot Springs · Jul 30, 2026
- Street sweepingContractorSCA of CA, LLCCity of Desert Hot Springs · Jun 16, 2026
- Recreation and aquaticsThe cityCity Recreation Center and Aquatics CenterCity of Desert Hot Springs · Jun 16, 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 | Los GatosCA | Desert Hot SpringsCA | Menlo ParkCA | Pleasant HillCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 33,293 | 33,629 | 33,785 | 33,853 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $329,000 | $253,000 | $324,000 | $303,420 |
| Council member pay | $6,840 | $19,584 | $11,400 | $11,400 |
| General fund per resident | $2,027 | $1,014 | $2,658 | $1,070 |
| Debt per resident | $27 | $1,107 | $819 | $483 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,806 | $446 | $2,156 | $1,625 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.6 | — | 8.8 | 3.7 |
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). Los Gatos pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Desert Hot Springs publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Audited financial report filed on timeThe FY2024-25 audit was dated July 30, 2026, 13 months after year end. Staff cited finance staff leave and a software error. City of Desert Hot Springs · Jul 30, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe full employment agreement is attached to the June 3, 2025 council agenda. City of Desert Hot Springs · Jun 3, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes name who moved and seconded each motion and list each member's yes or no vote. City of Desert Hot Springs · Feb 17, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe council page links agendas, minutes and videos. Approved minutes are also attached to later agendas. City of Desert Hot Springs
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of Desert Hot Springs · Feb 3, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe FY2026-27 salary schedule is adopted with the budget. We did not check individual pay in the State Controller's database. City of Desert Hot Springs · Jun 16, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget moves $14.9 million to other funds, mostly for police, dispatch and fire. How will that share change as the new 1% sales tax grows?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $2.6 million at June 30, 2025, against a $34.1 million budget. When will the city set the planned two-month operating reserve?
- The FY2024-25 audit was dated July 30, 2026. What will keep the FY2025-26 audit on schedule?
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