How Fresno is run
Who runs Fresno, 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 Fresno's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Fresno
The elected mayor heads the city government and appoints its top administrator and department heads. The council passes laws, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
- Monthly vehicle allowance of $500
- Six months' base salary as severance if the mayor ends her employment early, with health benefits continued for the same period
- Extra annual leave of 12 hours a month (up to 144 hours a year)
- At-will: the mayor may remove her at any time, with or without cause
Fresno city staff
4,922 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 1,333, Public utilities 633, Fresno Area Express (FAX) transit 550, Fire 438. FY2026-27. Budgeted full-time equivalent positions in all funds for FY2026-27, up 20.44 from the amended FY2025-26 budget. General fund departments have 2,554.95. City of Fresno · Sep 11, 2026
The city posts its salary resolution with the pay range for every job title, executive employment agreements, and links to each year's employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Fresno 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 five-year forecast shows the general fund's ending balance turning negative: short $24.1M in FY2027-28 and $66.5M by FY2030-31. The FY2026-27 budget closed a projected $34.5M gap with carryover savings, denied department requests, grant and fund shifts, and new revenue. City of Fresno · Sep 11, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $33.6M (2025-06-30). City of Fresno · Mar 19, 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
- Property tax$213M · 40%
- Sales tax$153M · 29%
- Charges for current services$46.2M · 9%
- Franchise fees$26.2M · 5%
- Business license tax$25.3M · 5%
- Charges to other city funds$23.3M · 4%
- Hotel room tax$16.8M · 3%
- Other (state and federal aid, other taxes and fees, cannabis, all other)$25.2M · 5%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Salaries and pay (employee services)$284M · 52%
- Charges from internal service departments$73.5M · 13%
- Operations and maintenance$50.9M · 9%
- Retirement contributions$41.3M · 8%
- Workers' compensation$38M · 7%
- Health and welfare$32.4M · 6%
- Other (pension bond payments, capital, contingency)$26M · 5%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Besides its share of the 1% base levy, the city collects a voter-era levy that supports its two retirement systems. Homes in other school districts pay those districts' bond rates instead.
3¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Fresno
- 1% base levy, shared by the county, city, schools and other agencies1 · 78%
- City of Fresno pension levy0.032438 · 3%
- Fresno Unified School District bonds0.233924 · 18%
- State Center Community College District bonds0.020406 · 2%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.286768
FY2024-25 rates for a Fresno home in the Fresno Unified School District (Fresno County). City of Fresno · Mar 19, 2026
See what a Fresno house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Fresno is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityFresno Police DepartmentCity of Fresno · Sep 11, 2026
- Fire and emergency medical responseThe cityFresno Fire DepartmentAlso serves the Fig Garden Fire Protection District under contractCity of Fresno · Sep 11, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Fresno Department of Public UtilitiesCity of Fresno · Mar 19, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Fresno Department of Public UtilitiesCity of Fresno · Mar 19, 2026
- Residential trashThe cityCity of Fresno Department of Public UtilitiesCity of Fresno · Mar 19, 2026
- AirportsThe cityCity of Fresno Airports DepartmentThe city runs two airportsCity of Fresno · Mar 19, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Fresno Public WorksCity of Fresno · Sep 11, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Fresno PARCS DepartmentCity of Fresno · Sep 11, 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 | BakersfieldCA | OaklandCA | FresnoCA | San FranciscoCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 422,853 | 429,591 | 560,948 | 845,658 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $240,001 | $404,823 | $328,932 | $397,160 |
| Council member pay | $1,200 | $114,243 | $97,184 | $180,128 |
| General fund per resident | $1,045 | $1,904 | $974 | $8,986 |
| Debt per resident | $248 | $1,930 | $1,556 | $29,826 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,336 | $4,131 | $-620 | $5,043 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.7 | 5.7 | 8.8 | 38.7 |
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).
What Fresno 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 Fresno
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineThe budget resolution lists each member's vote: adopted 7-0 on June 23, 2026. City of Fresno · Jun 23, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city's 2024 benchmark matrix lists $97,184 for council members and $136,252 for the mayor. City of Fresno · Apr 1, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Fresno
Questions to ask your council
- The five-year forecast shows the general fund ending FY2027-28 $24.1 million short, growing to $66.5 million by FY2030-31. What will the city change to close that gap?
- The FY2024-25 audit was dated March 19, 2026, about 8.5 months after year end. Can the city release it sooner?
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