How Hercules is run
Who runs Hercules, 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 Hercules's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Hercules
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
- Three-year contract term
- Severance of three months' base salary if fired without cause in the first two years, six months in the third year
- Vacation at the 20-year accrual rate, plus a one-time bank of 40 vacation days
- Up to $15,000 for relocation costs
- Same benefits as other senior managers under the city's executive pay and benefits plan
Hercules city staff
66 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Authorized full-time positions in the FY2026-27 adopted budget, up from 64 in FY2024-25. City of Hercules · Jun 23, 2026
The city posts a salary schedule with the pay range for every job title, including the city manager and council. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Hercules 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 general fund budget projects a $127,000 surplus. The city's five-year forecast shows a possible structural deficit starting in FY2028-29, estimated at less than 1% of spending, with the operating reserve falling from 25% to 23% by the end of the forecast period (FY2031-32). On Nov. 3, 2026, voters decide Measure P, a one-cent sales tax the city estimates would raise about $4 million a year. City of Hercules · Jun 23, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $13.8M (2025-06-30). City of Hercules · Dec 18, 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
- Sales tax$5.9M · 27%
- Utility users tax$4.4M · 20%
- Vehicle license fee and other intergovernmental$2.8M · 13%
- Parks and recreation fees$1.7M · 8%
- Property taxes$1.7M · 8%
- Franchise fees$1.4M · 6%
- Investment income$1.2M · 6%
- Other (cost allocations to other funds, leases, business licenses, hotel tax, transfers in, fees)$2.4M · 11%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$10.3M · 48%
- Administration (council, manager, HR, legal, clerk, finance)$3.9M · 18%
- Parks and recreation$2.9M · 13%
- Workers' compensation and general liability insurance$2M · 9%
- Community development$1M · 5%
- Transfers out for debt payments$818,771 · 4%
- Public works$549,638 · 3%
- Other (retiree benefit payments)$62,000 · 0%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
The city's audited report shows the 1% base levy split between the city and the county, and the city's budget says the city receives only 5% of the base 1%. Voter-approved add-ons for schools, BART, the community college and regional parks bring the total to about 1.28%. Rates are not adjusted for ERAF.
4¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Hercules
- Contra Costa County (rest of the 1% base levy)0.945779 · 74%
- West Contra Costa Unified School District0.1945 · 15%
- City of Hercules (share of the 1% base levy)0.054221 · 4%
- West Contra Costa Unified 2012 bonds0.0544 · 4%
- BART0.0148 · 1%
- Community college0.0142 · 1%
- East Bay Regional Park District bonds0.0013 · <1%
- Total (percent of assessed value)1.2792
FY2024-25 rates for a home in the city of Hercules (tax rate area 4-001, Contra Costa County). City of Hercules · Dec 18, 2025
See what a Hercules house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Hercules is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityHercules Police DepartmentCity of Hercules · Dec 18, 2025
- Fire protectionSeparate districtContra Costa County Fire Protection DistrictTook over the Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District on July 1, 2025; runs Station 76 in HerculesCity of Hercules
- SewerThe cityCity of Hercules (collection system); treatment plant co-owned with Pinole and run by PinoleCity of Hercules · Dec 18, 2025
- ElectricityAnother agencyMCE (Marin Clean Energy)City switched to MCE in April 2025City of Hercules · Dec 18, 2025
- Animal controlThe countyContra Costa County Animal ServicesCity of Hercules
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Hercules Parks and RecreationCity of Hercules · Dec 18, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Hercules Public WorksCity of Hercules · Dec 18, 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 | El CerritoCA | HerculesCA | South PasadenaCA | PattersonCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 26,166 | 26,323 | 26,380 | 26,386 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $302,820 | $260,000 | $312,000 | $244,660 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $9,979 | $11,400 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $2,203 | $813 | $1,697 | $1,560 |
| Debt per resident | $524 | $1,767 | $1,979 | $3,245 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $3,177 | $798 | $1,735 | $478 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 6.5 | 2.5 | 6.7 | 6.1 |
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). El Cerrito and Hercules and Patterson pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Hercules 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 Hercules
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Hercules · Sep 22, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote by name, such as the 3-1 vote adopting the FY2026-27 budget on June 23, 2026. City of Hercules · Jun 23, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's Legistar site posts the agenda, minutes and meeting video for council meetings such as June 23, 2026. City of Hercules
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe salary schedule lists pay of $831.60 a month for council members, the mayor and the vice mayor. City of Hercules · Sep 8, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Hercules · Sep 8, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Measure P, on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot, would raise about $4 million a year, compared with $21.5 million of budgeted general fund revenue. If it passes, how will the council divide that money between police, water quality and reserves?
- The five-year forecast shows a possible structural deficit starting in FY2028-29 and the operating reserve slipping from 25% to 23%. What changes would keep the budget balanced if Measure P fails?
- The city's net pension liability was $21.0 million, with both CalPERS plans about 75% funded. What is the plan for paying it down?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council held budget workshops on March 24 and May 12, 2026, opened the public hearing on June 9, and adopted the FY2026-27 budget on June 23, 2026 by a 3-1 vote. See who is running for council
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