How Hayward is run
Who runs Hayward, 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 Hayward's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Hayward
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day and appoints all other staff. The seven-member council (a mayor elected citywide and six members elected at large) sets policy, adopts the budget and appoints the city manager, city attorney and city clerk.
What they are paid
- Contract runs from Dec. 8, 2025 through Dec. 8, 2028
- Severance of at least 90 days' salary and benefits if terminated in the first 15 months, except in cases the contract excludes
- The city manager pays the full 8% CalPERS employee share plus 5% toward the city's share
- No city contribution to her deferred compensation plan
- $1,500 a month equipment and car stipend, waived for her first year and, under an April 2026 amendment, through the end of FY2026-27
Hayward city staff
956 full-time-equivalent positions, including General fund 703. FY2026-27. Adopted positions. The budget holds about 90 of the 702.8 general fund positions vacant to cut costs. City of Hayward · Jun 2, 2026
The city posts a council-approved salary plan with the pay range for every job title, including the mayor, council and city manager. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Hayward 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 FY2026-27 budget is balanced but relies on about $29.8 million of short-term or one-time sources. The city's May 2026 five-year forecast shows shortfalls of $7.0 million in FY2027-28, $11.0 million in FY2028-29 and $13.1 million in FY2029-30, because salary and benefit costs grow faster than revenue. A business license tax measure on the November 2026 ballot could raise about $11 million a year. City of Hayward · Jun 2, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $31.6M (2024-06-30). The city's own target: Council policy is a general fund reserve equal to 20% of general fund spending. The budget says overstated revenue and overspending in FY2024-25 cut the reserve to near zero, and it was expected to stay near zero at the end of FY2025-26. City of Hayward · Mar 24, 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$81.1M · 33%
- Sales tax$46.5M · 19%
- Transfers from other funds (mostly one-time)$31.3M · 13%
- Utility users tax$26.1M · 10%
- Charges for services$14.6M · 6%
- Franchise fees$13.9M · 6%
- Real property transfer tax$11M · 4%
- Other (state and county aid, business license, hotel, emergency facilities and cannabis taxes, fines, misc.)$24.6M · 10%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$110M · 44%
- Fire$70.5M · 28%
- Non-departmental and transfers$13.7M · 5%
- Development services$13.3M · 5%
- Library$9.7M · 4%
- Maintenance services$8.3M · 3%
- Finance$6.5M · 3%
- Other (city manager, human resources, public works, city attorney, city clerk, mayor and council)$17.5M · 7%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
California caps the base property tax at 1% of assessed value, and the county splits that levy among local agencies, including the city. Voter-approved bond rates are added on top. The city's own voter-approved rate is 0.0018%.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Hayward
- Alameda County countywide 1% base levy (shared by the county, city, schools and districts)1 · 84%
- Hayward Unified School District (voter-approved bonds)0.09 · 8%
- Chabot-Las Positas Community College District (bonds)0.0416 · 3%
- Hayward Area Recreation and Park District0.0299 · 3%
- Bay Area Rapid Transit (bonds)0.0134 · 1%
- Alameda County (general obligation bonds)0.0088 · <1%
- East Bay Regional Park District0.0057 · <1%
- City of Hayward (voter-approved rate)0.0018 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.1912
FY2023-24 rates for a home in Hayward (Alameda County). City of Hayward · Mar 24, 2025
See what a Hayward home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Hayward is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityHayward Police DepartmentCity of Hayward · Mar 24, 2025
- Fire and paramedicsThe cityHayward Fire DepartmentThe Hayward fire chief also serves as chief of the Fairview Fire Protection District under an agreement.City of Hayward · Jun 2, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityHayward Police Department Communications CenterCity of Hayward · Jun 2, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Hayward (water bought wholesale from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission)City of Hayward · Jun 2, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of HaywardCity of Hayward · Mar 24, 2025
- Trash collectionContractorWaste Management of Alameda County (city franchise)City of Hayward · Jun 2, 2026
- LibraryThe cityHayward Public Library (city)City of Hayward · Mar 24, 2025
- Parks and recreationSeparate districtHayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD)City of Hayward · Mar 24, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of HaywardCity of Hayward · Mar 24, 2025
- AirportThe cityHayward Executive Airport (city)City of Hayward · Mar 24, 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 | CoronaCA | SalinasCA | HaywardCA | SunnyvaleCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 159,309 | 159,866 | 161,557 | 161,884 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not current (2023) | $315,000 | $393,000 | $414,040 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $30,600 | $42,456 | $38,144 |
| General fund per resident | $1,513 | $1,228 | $1,542 | $1,872 |
| Debt per resident | $1,672 | $805 | $486 | $2,514 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $392 | $1,444 | $3,559 | $2,587 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.9 | 4.3 | 5.9 | 5.9 |
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 Hayward publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Audited financial report filed on timeThe FY2024 audit report was dated March 24, 2025, nearly nine months after year end. The FY2025 audit was still unfinished in October 2026. City of Hayward · Oct 6, 2026
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe adopted FY2026-27 operating budget book is posted on the city website. City of Hayward · Jun 2, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineLegistar records each member's vote, e.g. the 7-0 vote on June 2, 2026 adopting the FY2026-27 budget. City of Hayward
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineCouncil meetings stream live on YouTube, Zoom and KHRT channel 15; agendas, minutes and videos are posted online. City of Hayward
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe council-adopted salary plan lists yearly pay for the mayor and council. City of Hayward · Oct 6, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe council-adopted salary plan for all classifications lists pay for city job titles, from elected officials to staff. City of Hayward · Oct 6, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 budget uses about $29.8 million of short-term or one-time sources, and the forecast shows a $7.0 million shortfall in FY2027-28 growing to $13.1 million by FY2029-30. What happens if the November 2026 business license tax measure fails?
- Council policy calls for a general fund reserve of 20% of spending, but the budget says the reserve is near zero. What is the plan and timeline to rebuild it?
- The FY2024-25 audit was still not finished in October 2026. When will the audited report be published?
- Police ($109.6 million) and fire ($70.5 million) are the two largest parts of the $249.1 million general fund budget, and the three CalPERS plans had $575.0 million of unfunded liability on June 30, 2025. How will the city keep pension costs in check?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager submits a proposed budget to the council in April, the council holds work sessions and a public hearing, and the budget is adopted by the end of June. The FY2026-27 budget was adopted June 2, 2026, after a February 28, 2026 work session on the five-year forecast. See who is running for council
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