How Grover Beach is run
Who runs Grover Beach, 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 Grover Beach's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Grover Beach
A city manager appointed by the council is the chief executive and runs the city day to day. The council, a directly elected mayor plus four members elected by district, passes ordinances, adopts the budget and hires the city manager and city attorney.
What they are paid
- Car allowance of $4,000 a year (2016 contract)
- City pays $150 a month into a 457 deferred compensation plan (2016 contract)
- City-paid term life insurance of $125,000 (2016 contract)
- Cost-of-living raises match those of other management employees
- May join the city employee medical insurance plan
- No extra pay for serving as the Grover Beach Financing Authority board
- Extra pay for members who represent the city on certain boards, commissions or committees
Grover Beach city staff
70 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 31, Public Works 17, Administrative Services 9, City Manager's Office 8, Community Development 5. FY2026-27. City of Grover Beach · Jun 22, 2026
The city posts a monthly and hourly salary schedule for every job title, plus labor agreements. Fire staff work for the Five Cities Fire Authority, not the city. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Grover Beach 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 projects a break-even general fund budget over the next several years. Reserves are projected to stay at or above the council's 25% policy before dropping slightly below it in FY2030-31. The water fund's 2021 rates do not cover its needs, and a new water rate structure will be needed in 2027. City of Grover Beach · Jun 22, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $7M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: General fund reserves of at least 25% of the operating budget: a 15% general reserve plus an emergency reserve. The FY2026-27 budget projects ending reserves of about 27%. City of Grover Beach · Feb 17, 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$6.8M · 35%
- Sales tax$6.2M · 32%
- Transient occupancy (hotel) tax$1.2M · 6%
- Cannabis tax$1.1M · 5%
- Franchise fees$1M · 5%
- Charges for current services$922,888 · 5%
- Transfers in$703,000 · 4%
- Other (licenses and permits, interest and rent, state and federal aid, utility users tax, fines)$1.4M · 7%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$7.6M · 39%
- Non-departmental (Five Cities Fire Authority contract, pension liability payments, insurance, legal)$5.6M · 29%
- City Manager's Office$2M · 10%
- Public Works$1.7M · 9%
- Community Development$1.4M · 7%
- Administrative Services$745,380 · 4%
- Transfers out$280,000 · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of the bill is the 1% base levy, which the county splits among local agencies. The city gets about 18 cents of each base-levy dollar. Voter-approved street bonds add 0.09%.
24¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Grover Beach
- Other agencies' shares of the 1% base levy (county, schools, state ERAF, special districts)0.81874 · 71%
- City of Grover Beach share of the 1% base levy0.18126 · 16%
- City of Grover Beach street bonds (Measure K-14)0.09 · 8%
- Lucia Mar Unified School District bonds0.028 · 2%
- Cuesta Community College bonds0.0175 · 2%
- Lopez Dam retrofit bonds0.006 · <1%
- State Water bond0.00365 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.14515
FY2024-25 rates for a home in Grover Beach (San Luis Obispo County). City of Grover Beach · Feb 17, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Grover Beach is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityGrover Beach Police DepartmentCity of Grover Beach · Jun 22, 2026
- Police dispatchThe countySan Luis Obispo County Sheriff's OfficeCity of Grover Beach · Jun 22, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Grover BeachCity of Grover Beach · Feb 17, 2026
- Lopez Lake water supplySeparate districtSan Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation DistrictCity of Grover Beach · Feb 17, 2026
- Wastewater treatmentSeparate districtSouth San Luis Obispo County Sanitation DistrictCity of Grover Beach · Jun 22, 2026
- Streets and storm drainsThe cityCity of Grover BeachCity of Grover Beach · Feb 17, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Grover BeachFive parks and two community recreation centersCity of Grover Beach · Jun 22, 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 | NewmanCA | San AnselmoCA | Grover BeachCA | San MarinoCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 12,362 | 12,474 | 12,502 | 12,513 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $228,012 | $295,992 | $273,780 | $289,596 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $3,600 | $8,640 | No salary |
| General fund per resident | $699 | $1,910 | $1,550 | $2,991 |
| Debt per resident | $726 | $733 | $3,108 | $0 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $564 | $149 | $1,284 | $3,479 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | — | 5.6 | 10.3 |
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). San Anselmo and Grover Beach pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Grover Beach publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: City manager's contract findable online City of Grover Beach · May 16, 2016
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Grover Beach · Oct 13, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city council page states the mayor's $900 and members' $720 monthly stipends. City of Grover Beach
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe city posts a monthly and hourly salary schedule by job title, effective July 1, 2026. City of Grover Beach · Jul 27, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 budget projects general fund reserves of about 27%, above the 25% policy, but slightly below it by FY2030-31. What would keep reserves at the policy level?
- The budget says the water fund's 2021 rates do not cover operations and needed capital projects. What will the 2027 water rate study propose?
- The FY2024-25 audited report came out later than the city's own goal, after the finance manager left. What will keep the FY2025-26 report on time?
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