How Fairfield is run
Who runs Fairfield, 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 Fairfield's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Fairfield
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
- Contract runs to Dec. 30, 2027 and renews one year at a time each June 30 unless the council gives notice
- Council may grant a performance bonus of up to 5% of base pay after the yearly review
- CalPERS pension as a classic member
- $500 a month car allowance
- Same cost-of-living raises as other executive managers
Fairfield city staff
598 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 188, Public Works 112, Water utility 80, Fire 78, Administration and Finance 72. FY2026-27. City of Fairfield · Jun 17, 2025
The city posts salary schedules with pay steps for every job class. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Fairfield 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's eight-year forecast shows a general fund deficit every year, $12.3M in FY2026-27 and $11.1M in FY2027-28. The unassigned reserve is projected to fall below the 20% target in FY2027-28 and run out by FY2029-30, mainly because of rising CalPERS payments. Without changes, all general fund reserves would be gone by FY2030-31. The forecast does not count any new sales tax. City of Fairfield · Jun 16, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $14.9M (2025-06-30). City of Fairfield · Dec 16, 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
- Property taxes (incl. former redevelopment share)$33.6M · 21%
- Sales tax$32.3M · 20%
- Measure P sales tax (1%, expires March 2033)$25.3M · 16%
- Vehicle license fees$15.2M · 9%
- Utility and franchise taxes$13.4M · 8%
- Other taxes$8.1M · 5%
- Charges for services$6.9M · 4%
- Other (permits and fines, transfers in, interest, cannabis tax, state aid, misc.)$13.1M · 8%
- From reserves$12.3M · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$63.1M · 39%
- Fire$35.3M · 22%
- Public Works$21.2M · 13%
- Non-departmental$9.4M · 6%
- Parks and Recreation$8.8M · 6%
- Community Development$6.9M · 4%
- Administration$6M · 4%
- Transfers to other funds$5M · 3%
- Other (Human Resources, Finance, Housing)$4.5M · 3%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
This is the county's summary as printed in the city's audited report; it groups school bonds and special district bonds rather than naming each district. The city gets a share of the 1% base levy, which this table does not break out. The city's own add-on rate pays its North Bay Aqueduct costs.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Fairfield
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, the city, schools and other agencies)1 · 88%
- School district bonds0.11022 · 10%
- Special district bonds0.02 · 2%
- City of Fairfield (voter-approved debt)0.0023 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.13252
FY2024-25 rates for a home in Fairfield (Solano County). City of Fairfield · Dec 16, 2025
See what a Fairfield house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Fairfield is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityFairfield Police DepartmentCity of Fairfield · Dec 16, 2025
- FireThe cityFairfield Fire Department (five stations)City of Fairfield · Jun 17, 2025
- EMS / ambulanceThe cityFairfield Fire DepartmentCity of Fairfield · Jun 16, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Fairfield water utilityCity of Fairfield · Dec 16, 2025
- Public transitThe cityFAST (Fairfield's city-run bus, dial-a-ride and microtransit)City of Fairfield · Jun 17, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Fairfield Public WorksCity of Fairfield · Dec 16, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Fairfield Parks and RecreationIncludes two city-owned 18-hole golf courses, run by a contract operator.City of Fairfield · Dec 16, 2025
- LibraryThe countySolano County LibraryFairfield Civic Center and Fairfield Cordelia branches.Solano County Library
- SchoolsSeparate districtFairfield-Suisun Unified School DistrictCity of Fairfield · Dec 16, 2025
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 | Thousand OaksCA | FairfieldCA | ConcordCA | Simi ValleyCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 121,286 | 121,389 | 122,494 | 123,842 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $362,985 | $304,138 | $346,931 | $328,140 |
| Council member pay | Not current (2008) | $15,600 | $22,800 | $14,433 |
| General fund per resident | $1,048 | $1,320 | $1,173 | $812 |
| Debt per resident | $47 | $927 | $821 | $451 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $512 | $1,980 | $2,056 | $1,170 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 3.0 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 4.4 |
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). Thousand Oaks and Concord pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Fairfield 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 Fairfield
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Fairfield · Dec 20, 2022
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Fairfield · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineCouncil meetings are televised and posted on the city website, which links a video archive and meeting minutes. City of Fairfield
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe FY2026-27 pay schedule lists $15,600 a year for council members and $18,720 for the mayor. City of Fairfield · Aug 21, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Fairfield
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget spends $160.2 million against $147.9 million of revenue, drawing $12.3 million from reserves. How will the gap be closed in later years?
- The city's forecast shows the general fund reserve falling below its 20% target in FY2027-28 and running out by FY2029-30. Which options is the council weighing, and when will it decide?
- CalPERS reports the city's two pension plans were $240.3 million short at June 30, 2025. How much of each year's general fund goes to paying down that shortfall?
- Measure P, the city's 1% sales tax, is budgeted at $25.3 million in FY2026-27 and expires in March 2033. What is the plan for that money after 2033?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city adopts a two-year budget in June and updates it before the second year. Departments prepare requests from December to March, the council holds a public study session in May, and adopts the budget in June. The FY2025-26 and FY2026-27 budget was adopted June 17, 2025; the mid-cycle update was adopted June 16, 2026. See who is running for council
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