How Fullerton is run
Who runs Fullerton, 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 Fullerton's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Fullerton
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 9 months' base pay and deferred compensation, plus 9 months of medical coverage, if fired without cause
- Until Nov. 17, 2026, may return to his former job as Director of Human Resources if fired without cause
- City pays $600 per pay period into a 457 deferred compensation plan, rising to $650 in 2028
- $275 per pay period for use of his own car
- City pays $1,500 a month toward medical insurance, plus dental and vision
- $500,000 group life insurance; 168 hours of vacation a year
Fullerton city staff
668 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public Works 196, Police 190, Fire 88. FY2026-27. City of Fullerton · Aug 18, 2026
Council resolutions post salary schedules for appointed jobs, e.g. Chief of Police $273,293 from July 2026. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Fullerton 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 says it has a structural deficit: ongoing costs grow faster than ongoing revenue. An early $13.7 million FY2026-27 gap was closed with about $6.9 million in cuts, including 26 unfunded vacant positions, plus one-time steps such as lower charges to insurance funds. The city's forecast says it will struggle to keep its 10% minimum reserve in the years after FY2026-27. City of Fullerton · Aug 18, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $0 (2025-06-30). That means every dollar the general fund has saved is set aside in a named reserve or category, not that it has no savings. The city's own target: Set aside at least 10% of yearly general fund spending as an assigned contingency reserve, with a goal of 17%. On June 30, 2025 that reserve was $19.8 million, about 14%. Unassigned balance was $0. City of Fullerton · Dec 23, 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. in lieu of vehicle license fees)$66.7M · 45%
- Sales tax$31.3M · 21%
- Charges for services (incl. ambulance billing)$17M · 12%
- Other taxes (hotel, business registration and more)$7.2M · 5%
- Franchise fees$5.3M · 4%
- Use of money and property$4.3M · 3%
- Transfers in$3.4M · 2%
- Other (permits, fines, grants, library, recreation, misc.)$12.1M · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$68.1M · 46%
- Fire and ambulance$39.1M · 27%
- Public works$10.5M · 7%
- Community and economic development$7.5M · 5%
- Parks and recreation$5.9M · 4%
- City manager's office (incl. clerk and legal)$5.1M · 3%
- Transfers out$5M · 3%
- Library$4.5M · 3%
- Other (council, administrative services, HR, less general government credits)$1.5M · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Every Fullerton property pays the 1% base levy, which the county splits among schools, the county, the city and special districts. Voter-approved school and college bonds and a Metropolitan Water District charge add the rest. Fullerton has no city bond rate.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Fullerton
- 1% base levy (shared by county, schools, city and districts)The city gets about 15.6 cents of each dollar of property tax collected1 · 94%
- Fullerton school bonds0.04222 · 4%
- North Orange County Community College District bonds0.01735 · 2%
- Metropolitan Water District0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.06657
FY2024-25 rates for a home in Fullerton (Orange County), Fullerton school districts. City of Fullerton · Dec 23, 2025
See what a Fullerton house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Fullerton is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityFullerton Police DepartmentCity of Fullerton · Dec 23, 2025
- FireThe cityFullerton Fire Department (6 stations)City of Fullerton · Aug 18, 2026
- EMS / ambulanceThe cityFullerton Fire Department, city-run ambulance program32 ambulance operators and seven new ambulancesCity of Fullerton · Aug 18, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Fullerton water utilityCity of Fullerton · Dec 23, 2025
- SewerThe cityCity of Fullerton Public WorksCity of Fullerton · Aug 18, 2026
- LibraryThe cityFullerton Public Library (Main and Hunt libraries)City of Fullerton · Aug 18, 2026
- ParksThe cityCity of Fullerton Parks and Recreation (53 parks)City of Fullerton · Aug 18, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity of Fullerton Public WorksCity of Fullerton · Aug 18, 2026
- AirportThe cityFullerton Municipal Airport (city-run)General aviationCity of Fullerton · Aug 18, 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 | Santa ClaraCA | VictorvilleCA | FullertonCA | OrangeCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 138,011 | 139,680 | 140,224 | 141,063 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $439,383 | $385,607 | $305,000 | $326,400 |
| Council member pay | $25,200 | $22,800 | Not confirmed | Not current (2022) |
| General fund per resident | $2,672 | $870 | $1,050 | $1,202 |
| Debt per resident | $3,584 | $2,290 | $130 | $1,970 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $4,595 | $645 | $2,083 | $481 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 8.9 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 5.0 |
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).
What Fullerton publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Fullerton · Mar 3, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Fullerton
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of Fullerton · Aug 18, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay publishedCouncil resolutions post salary schedules for appointed jobs and some job classes. We could not open the city website to check a full list. City of Fullerton · Mar 3, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- An early $13.7 million FY2026-27 general fund gap was closed partly with one-time steps. Which ongoing changes will keep the FY2027-28 budget balanced?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $0 on June 30, 2025, and the contingency reserve was 14% against a 17% goal. What is the plan to rebuild it?
- The city's CalPERS plans were $292.1 million short as of June 30, 2025, and the safety plan was 64.8% funded. How will rising pension payments fit in future budgets?
- The budget leaves 26 vacant positions unfunded, including six sworn police positions. How will the council track the effect on response times and permit delays?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council holds a study session (July 14, 2026) and a public hearing (July 21, 2026). This year the council passed a continuing spending resolution on June 16 and adopted the FY2026-27 budget on Aug. 18, 2026. See who is running for council
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