How El Monte is run
Who runs El Monte, 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 Monte's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs El Monte
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 18 months' base salary if fired without cause
- City-paid term life insurance of up to $1 million
- Contract runs to March 5, 2029, then renews automatically for two-year terms
- Cannot be fired without cause in the 90 days after an election that seats a new mayor or council member
- $400 a month vehicle allowance
- City health, dental and vision coverage, with the same cafeteria allowance as executive managers
- Optional membership in CalPERS retirement
- City-paid long-term care insurance while in office
El Monte city staff
338 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (sworn) 131, Police (civilian) 45. FY2026-27. Budgeted full-time positions, down 5 from the year before. City of El Monte · Jun 17, 2026
The city posts its full classification and compensation plan with pay ranges for every job title. Fire service is a county contract, so firefighters are not city staff. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is El Monte 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 runs a $3.8 million deficit, drawing general fund balance from a projected $58.4 million to $54.6 million. The city's five-year forecast expects spending to outpace revenue, with the yearly gap growing to $13.5 million by FY2030-31. The city says it will look for economic growth, less police overtime and lower contract costs. City of El Monte · Jun 24, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $23.1M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: A formal reserve policy sets a cash-flow reserve of 10% to 20% of the general fund budget, plus reserves for economic uncertainty and catastrophic emergencies, capital projects, part of the Measure EM sales tax, and employee leave and retiree health costs. El Monte holds these as assigned fund balance, $22.9 million on June 30, 2025, separate from the unassigned money. City of El Monte · May 28, 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$26.7M · 23%
- Property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$19.3M · 16%
- Property taxes$11.8M · 10%
- Measure EM sales tax (0.75%)$11.6M · 10%
- Utility users tax$9.1M · 8%
- Charges for services$7.3M · 6%
- Franchise fees$6.1M · 5%
- Other (permits, business license tax, interest, transfers in, misc.)$21M · 18%
- From savings (fund balance)$3.8M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$53.4M · 46%
- Fire (Los Angeles County contract)$20.4M · 18%
- Administration (council, manager, clerk, attorney, finance, HR, IT, non-departmental)$18.4M · 16%
- Public works$10.8M · 9%
- Economic development (planning, building, housing)$8.8M · 8%
- Parks and recreation$4.8M · 4%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar, about 17 cents goes to the city: its share of the 1% base levy plus a 0.12% levy voters approved in 1946 for employee pensions. Parts of the city are in the Mountain View or Rosemead school districts, whose bond rates differ.
17¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of El Monte
- Other agencies' share of the 1% base levy (county, schools, special districts)0.90159 · 69%
- City of El Monte (share of the 1% base levy)0.09841 · 8%
- City of El Monte (voter-approved levy for employee pensions)Voters approved this levy in 1946 to support city employee retirement.0.12 · 9%
- El Monte City School District (bonds)0.09129 · 7%
- El Monte Union High School District (bonds)0.06222 · 5%
- Rio Hondo Community College District (bonds)0.02334 · 2%
- Metropolitan Water District0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.30385
FY2024-25 rates for a home in the El Monte City School District area (Los Angeles County). City of El Monte · May 28, 2026
See what a El Monte home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in El Monte is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- Fire and paramedicsContractorLos Angeles County Fire Department (contract)About $20.4 million in the FY2026-27 general fund budgetCity of El Monte
- 911 dispatchThe cityEl Monte Police Department Communications CenterStaffed 24 hours a dayCity of El Monte
- WaterThe cityEl Monte Water Authority (a city department), for part of the cityServes about 3,634 meters, a small portion of the city's populationCity of El Monte
- Trash and recyclingContractorValley Vista Services (city franchise)City of El Monte
- LibraryThe countyLA County Library (El Monte Library)LA County Library
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of El Monte Parks and RecreationCity of El Monte
- City streetsThe cityCity of El Monte Public WorksCity of El Monte
- Local transitThe cityCity of El Monte Transportation Services (trolley, commuter shuttle, Dial-A-Ride)City of El Monte
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 | VenturaCA | ChicoCA | El MonteCA | West CovinaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 108,061 | 108,113 | 108,192 | 108,937 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $321,173 | $285,000 | $389,953 | $249,562 |
| Council member pay | $7,200 | Not confirmed | $8,800 | $24,324 |
| General fund per resident | $1,423 | $997 | $1,078 | $915 |
| Debt per resident | $1,667 | $132 | $1,480 | $2,118 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,328 | $1,470 | $566 | $297 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 6.6 | 4.4 | 3.1 | 4.0 |
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). El Monte pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What El Monte publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe adopted FY2026-27 budget book, with a five-year general fund forecast, is posted on the finance department page. City of El Monte
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe 2025 amended and restated employment agreement is posted on the city's salary and benefits page. City of El Monte
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes give each motion's mover, seconder and tally, such as 7-0 for the FY2026-27 budget, and name absent members, but not each member's vote. City of El Monte
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of El Monte
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe city posts its classification and compensation plan, with pay ranges for every job title, effective Sept. 1, 2026. City of El Monte
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget runs a $3.8 million deficit, and the city's forecast shows the yearly gap growing to $13.5 million by FY2030-31. What steps will close it?
- Police take $53.4 million of the $116.7 million general fund budget, and the city says it will look at police overtime. What overtime savings are planned this year?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $23.1 million on June 30, 2025, apart from $22.9 million in assigned reserves. How much of either will the current deficit use?
- The city's FY2024-25 audit is dated May 28, 2026, about 11 months after the year ended. What would it take to finish it sooner?
The fiscal year starts July 1. Departments start budgets in February, the council holds a budget workshop in May and reviews the budget in June, and the budget is adopted after a public hearing by July 1. The council adopted the FY2026-27 budget 7-0 on June 17, 2026. See who is running for council
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