How Healdsburg is run
Who runs Healdsburg, 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 Healdsburg's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Healdsburg
A city manager appointed by the council runs the city's day-to-day operations. The five-member council sets policy and adopts the budget.
What they are paid
- $550 a month in management incentive pay
- City pays the maximum deferred compensation contribution each year
- 168 hours of vacation and 100 hours of management leave a year
- Dental, vision and a $100,000 life insurance policy paid by the city
Healdsburg city staff
147 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public works 35, Police 28, Community services 17, City Manager's Office 16, Electric 16, Fire 14. FY2026-27. Authorized full-time positions in the adopted budget. One City Manager's Office position is frozen and unfunded. City of Healdsburg · Jun 1, 2026
The city posts a monthly salary schedule by job title and its labor contracts. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Healdsburg 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.
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $9.9M (2025-06-30). City of Healdsburg · Feb 5, 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$5.8M · 29%
- Property tax$3.8M · 19%
- Vehicle license fee swap (state)$2.2M · 11%
- Hotel tax (TOT, general fund share)$1.5M · 8%
- Planning and building services$1.5M · 7%
- Measure T sales tax transfer$900,000 · 4%
- Franchise taxes$809,171 · 4%
- Other (fees, fire and police services, interest, rent, other)$3.6M · 18%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$9.5M · 46%
- Fire$5.2M · 25%
- Finance$2.9M · 14%
- Planning and building$2.4M · 12%
- City Manager's Office$2.3M · 11%
- Other (legal, city council, public works)$1.1M · 5%
- Less: non-departmental (overhead charged to other funds, net of transfers and insurance)$-2.8M · -14%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Healdsburg is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityHealdsburg Police DepartmentCity of Healdsburg · Jun 1, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityHealdsburg Police DepartmentThe police department runs a full 911 dispatch center; all 911 calls, including fire and medical, are answered there.City of Healdsburg · Jun 1, 2026
- FireThe cityHealdsburg Fire DepartmentAlso provides contracted emergency services to about 68 square miles of unincorporated Sonoma County.City of Healdsburg · Jun 1, 2026
- Emergency medical responseThe cityHealdsburg Fire DepartmentCity of Healdsburg · Jun 1, 2026
- ElectricityThe cityCity of Healdsburg Electric DepartmentThe city runs its own electric utility.City of Healdsburg · Jun 1, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Healdsburg Public WorksCity of Healdsburg · Jun 1, 2026
- Sewer (wastewater)The cityCity of Healdsburg Public WorksCity of Healdsburg · Jun 1, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Healdsburg Public WorksCity of Healdsburg · Jun 1, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Healdsburg Community ServicesCity of Healdsburg · Jun 1, 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 | Canyon LakeCA | AndersonCA | HealdsburgCA | Half Moon BayCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,908 | 11,050 | 11,205 | 11,406 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $280,045 | $231,462 | $303,800 | $295,200 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $3,600 | Not confirmed | $11,460 |
| General fund per resident | $856 | $1,134 | $1,850 | $2,259 |
| Debt per resident | $33 | $615 | $1,977 | $373 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $56 | $1,531 | $4,295 | $1,250 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 3.5 | 6.5 | 13.1 | 4.0 |
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). Canyon Lake and Anderson and Half Moon Bay pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Healdsburg 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 Healdsburg · Jun 1, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Healdsburg
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Healdsburg · Jun 1, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no readable ordinance or budget page stating each member's pay; the budget shows only total council wages. City of Healdsburg · Jun 1, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe city posts a monthly salary schedule by job title. We found no city list of pay by employee. City of Healdsburg · Aug 3, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Sales tax is the largest general fund revenue at $5.8 million. How is the city planning for slower wine and hotel sales?
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