How Grass Valley is run
Who runs Grass Valley, 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 Grass Valley's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Grass Valley
A city manager appointed by the City Council runs the city day to day. The five council members are elected at large, and one of them serves as mayor. The council sets policy and the city manager carries it out.
What they are paid
- 457(b) deferred compensation up to the IRS 402(g) limit, plus 8% of base salary to a 401(a) plan
- Fully covered family medical, dental and vision benefits
- Vehicle allowance of $440 and cell phone allowance of $60 per pay period
Grass Valley city staff
124 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. City of Grass Valley
The city posts a citywide salary schedule and its labor agreements on the Human Resources page. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Grass Valley 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 forecast shows a general fund deficit of about $17,600 in FY2026-27 and another deficit in FY2027-28, with yearly surpluses returning from FY2028-29 if current trends hold. The budget names CalPERS pension payments, projected at $2.91 million to $3.18 million a year through FY2029-30, as one of the largest cost drivers and a long-term risk. General fund reserves are projected at about $8.40 million on June 30, 2027. City of Grass Valley
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $8.2M (2025-06-30). City of Grass Valley · Jun 25, 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 (after $1,019,330 paid to Nevada County)$6.8M · 34%
- Property tax, secured and unsecured$3.9M · 20%
- Property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$1.8M · 9%
- Hotel tax (transient occupancy tax)$1.3M · 6%
- Reimbursements for fire department responses$1M · 5%
- Solid waste franchise fee$710,000 · 4%
- Redevelopment residual property tax$512,575 · 3%
- Other (cannabis tax, other franchise fees, permits, charges for services, grants, interest, transfers in and other revenue)$3.9M · 20%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$6.6M · 33%
- Fire$4.4M · 22%
- Non-departmental$2.5M · 13%
- Public works (engineering, streets, fleet and facilities)$1.5M · 7%
- Debt service$1.4M · 7%
- Community development (planning and building)$778,471 · 4%
- Parks, pool and recreation$760,930 · 4%
- Other (information technology, city manager, finance, animal services, city attorney, council, human resources and transfers out)$2M · 10%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Grass Valley is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityGrass Valley Police DepartmentCity of Grass Valley · Aug 25, 2026
- Fire protectionThe cityGrass Valley Fire DepartmentIt shares crews and stations with Nevada City Fire and the Nevada County Consolidated Fire District under a joint operational agreement.City of Grass Valley · Aug 25, 2026
- Emergency medical responseThe cityGrass Valley Fire Department, with Sierra Nevada AmbulanceAll city firefighters are trained to the EMT level.City of Grass Valley
- WaterThe cityCity of Grass Valley Public WorksCity of Grass Valley · Aug 25, 2026
- Sewer and wastewater treatmentThe cityCity of Grass Valley Public WorksCity of Grass Valley · Aug 25, 2026
- Streets, storm drains and street lightsThe cityCity of Grass Valley Public WorksCity of Grass Valley
- ParksThe cityCity of Grass Valley Public Works and Parks and RecreationCity of Grass Valley
- LibraryThe countyNevada County Library (Grass Valley Library, Royce Branch)Nevada County
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 | Solana BeachCA | Grass ValleyCA | KingsburgCA | EmeryvilleCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 12,941 | 13,238 | 13,347 | 13,612 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $286,000 | $279,500 | $236,073 | $347,016 |
| Council member pay | $12,384 | $6,600 | $8,400 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $2,139 | $1,507 | $591 | $4,120 |
| Debt per resident | $1,536 | $1,823 | $454 | $3,680 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,580 | $767 | $604 | $4,451 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 6.0 | 9.3 | 5.9 | 12.8 |
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). Solana Beach and Kingsburg and Emeryville pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Grass Valley 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 Grass Valley · Sep 22, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Grass Valley · Sep 8, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance No. 829 sets council pay at $550 a month and mayor pay at $600 a month. City of Grass Valley · Oct 8, 2024
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe Human Resources page posts a citywide salary schedule, labor agreements and some contracts. We found no list of pay by employee. City of Grass Valley
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget of $19,946,611 relies on reserves to cover a $17,630 gap, and the city forecasts another deficit in FY2027-28. Which choices would close that gap?
- The city had $8,242,344 of unassigned general fund balance on June 30, 2025 but no written minimum. Should the council adopt a reserve policy, and at what level?
- The city reports a $10,154,910 net pension liability and still owes $14,575,000 on 2020 pension obligation bonds. How will it pay for pension costs projected at $2.91 million to $3.18 million a year through FY2029-30?
- The audit for the year ended June 30, 2025 is dated June 25, 2026. When will the audit for FY2025-26 be published?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager submits a recommended budget to the council, which reviews it at public meetings and holds a public hearing before adopting it by resolution before July 1. The council adopted a preliminary FY2026-27 budget on May 26, 2026, and the final budget followed in June. See who is running for council
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