How El Centro is run
Who runs El Centro, 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 El Centro's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs El Centro
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
- Three-year contract, Oct. 21, 2025 to Oct. 20, 2028
- Severance of up to four months' base salary if removed without cause
- City-provided vehicle
- City pays the CalPERS employer share; he pays the 7% employee share
- CalPERS retirement; the council budget sets aside $6,388 for it in FY2026-27
- City group health insurance; $18,790 budgeted for the council in FY2026-27
El Centro city staff
276 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public Safety 116, General Government 50, Parks and Recreation 33, Public Works 27, Water 22, Sewer 16, Community Development 12. FY2026-27. City of El Centro · Jun 16, 2026
The budget lists authorized positions by department but not their pay. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's pay database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is El Centro 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.
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $48.3M (2025-06-30). City of El Centro · Sep 8, 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$18.1M · 40%
- Property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$6.1M · 14%
- Property taxes$5M · 11%
- Transfers in (mostly Measure P sales tax for police, fire and parks)$4.8M · 11%
- Other income (interest, trash billing reimbursement, retirement trust draws, rents)$3M · 7%
- Hotel tax$2.6M · 6%
- Other (other state aid and reimbursements, business licenses, franchise fees, permits, charges for services, fines)$5.6M · 12%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$13.7M · 30%
- Fire$9.8M · 22%
- Non-departmental (citywide costs)$3.3M · 7%
- Parks$2.4M · 5%
- Aquatic center$1.7M · 4%
- Police dispatch and 911$1.6M · 4%
- Street maintenance$1.3M · 3%
- Library$1.3M · 3%
- Other (administration, finance, building, planning, recreation programs and other divisions, net of costs charged to other funds)$10.2M · 23%
Who provides your services
Not everything in El Centro is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- Fire protection and emergency medical servicesThe cityEl Centro Fire DepartmentCity of El Centro · Jun 16, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of El Centro Water FundCity of El Centro · Jun 16, 2026
- Streets and traffic signalsThe cityCity of El Centro Public WorksCity of El Centro · Jun 16, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of El Centro Parks and RecreationCity of El Centro · Jun 16, 2026
- LibraryThe cityEl Centro Public Library (city)City of El Centro · Jun 16, 2026
- HospitalThe cityEl Centro Regional Medical Center (city-owned)City of El Centro · Sep 8, 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 | CoachellaCA | El CentroCA | Rancho Santa MargaritaCA | Morgan HillCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 45,300 | 45,716 | 46,217 | 47,074 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $299,998 | $240,000 | $342,047 | $335,464 |
| Council member pay | $8,400 | Not confirmed | $5,562 | $15,300 |
| General fund per resident | $1,051 | $991 | $568 | $1,415 |
| Debt per resident | $1,246 | $5,413 | $125 | $948 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $79 | $1,259 | $49 | $1,293 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 2.4 | 6.0 | 0.7 | 4.6 |
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). Coachella and Rancho Santa Margarita and Morgan Hill pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What El Centro 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 report is dated Sept. 8, 2026, more than 14 months after the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025. City of El Centro · Sep 8, 2026
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 budget book, adopted June 16, 2026, is posted in the city's online document archive. City of El Centro · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe resolution setting the City Manager's pay and terms is in the Oct. 21, 2025 council agenda packet. City of El Centro · Oct 21, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes, posted in later agenda packets, name the members voting yes, no, absent or abstaining on each motion. City of El Centro · Jul 7, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Most of the city's $247.4 million in bond and loan debt belongs to the city-owned hospital, whose bonds were in default at June 30, 2025. What would the city owe if the transfer to the Imperial Valley Healthcare District does not close?
- The FY2024-25 audit report was dated Sept. 8, 2026, well over a year after the June 30, 2025 year end. When will the FY2025-26 audit be finished?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The City Manager gives departments budget goals in December, the council holds a mid-year review in February and budget workshops in spring, and the council adopted the FY2026-27 budget on June 16, 2026. See who is running for council
Help decide what comes next
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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