How Imperial Beach is run
Who runs Imperial 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 Imperial Beach's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Imperial Beach
The council appoints a city manager to carry out its policies, and a chief administrative officer oversees the city's daily administrative work, including finance, human resources and records. The council of five, a mayor elected at large and four members elected by district, adopts laws and policy and appoints the city manager and city attorney.
What they are paid
Imperial Beach city staff
126 full-time-equivalent positions, including Fire-Rescue 17, Lifeguards (Marine Safety) 18. FY2026-27. City of Imperial Beach · Jun 4, 2025
The salary schedule on the city website lists the pay range of every city job title. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Imperial 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.
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $14.4M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Council policy sets the general fund unassigned balance at 30% to 40% of yearly general fund spending, plus an economic uncertainty reserve of at least 10%. Above 40%, the council puts the extra toward priority capital projects. The audit put the unassigned balance at about 47.1% of FY2024-25 spending and transfers out. City of Imperial Beach · Nov 7, 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 (including property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees)$11.8M · 37%
- Port of San Diego payments for police, fire, lifeguard and tidelands services$6.1M · 19%
- Sales tax (including the Measure I one-cent tax)$5.5M · 17%
- Franchise fees (trash, gas and electric, cable, water)$2.8M · 9%
- Transfers from other funds (gas tax, TransNet, sewer fund charges)$1.7M · 5%
- Business licenses, permits, interest, rents and other$1.7M · 5%
- Hotel tax and property transfer tax$1.6M · 5%
- Other (planning, plan check and program fees, fines, state aid)$807,600 · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Law enforcement (San Diego County Sheriff contract)$9.1M · 28%
- Public works and maintenance (streets, tidelands, parks, buildings, storm drains)$5.6M · 17%
- Fire-Rescue$4.2M · 13%
- Non-departmental (citywide costs, including CalPERS pension debt payments)$3.8M · 12%
- General government (council, clerk, manager, HR, finance, attorney)$3.6M · 11%
- Lifeguards (Marine Safety and junior lifeguards)$2.4M · 7%
- Community development, building, code compliance and animal control$2M · 6%
- Recreation, events and senior services$1.5M · 5%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of the bill is the 1% base levy, which the county splits among the county, the city, schools and other agencies. The rest pays school and college bonds voters approved. The county's rate book does not show the city's slice of the 1% levy.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Imperial Beach
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, the city, schools and other agencies)1 · 83%
- Elementary school district bonds (South Bay Union)0.08047 · 7%
- High school district bonds0.07798 · 6%
- Community college district bonds0.04536 · 4%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.20381
FY2025-26 rates for an Imperial Beach home (San Diego County). San Diego County Auditor and Controller
Who provides your services
Not everything in Imperial Beach is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe countySan Diego County Sheriff's Department (city contract)The budget says the five-year contract expires June 30, 2026.City of Imperial Beach · Nov 7, 2025
- Fire and emergency responseThe cityImperial Beach Fire-Rescue DepartmentCity of Imperial Beach · Jun 4, 2025
- LifeguardsThe cityImperial Beach Marine Safety DepartmentFunded mainly by the Port of San Diego under a municipal services agreementCity of Imperial Beach · Jun 4, 2025
- WaterPrivate companyCalifornia American WaterCity of Imperial Beach
- Sewer collectionThe cityCity of Imperial Beach (Sewer Enterprise Fund)City of Imperial Beach · Jun 4, 2025
- Sewage treatmentAnother agencyCity of San Diego (Point Loma treatment plant)City of Imperial Beach · Jun 4, 2025
- Trash and recyclingContractorEDCO (city contract)City of Imperial Beach · Jun 4, 2025
- LibraryThe countySan Diego County LibrarySan Diego County Auditor and Controller
- StreetsThe cityCity of Imperial Beach Public WorksCity of Imperial Beach · Jun 4, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Imperial BeachCity of Imperial Beach · Nov 7, 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 | Imperial BeachCA | BeniciaCA | EurekaCA | El CerritoCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 26,066 | 26,074 | 26,163 | 26,166 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $262,668 | $242,534 | Not confirmed | $302,820 |
| Council member pay | $11,400 | Not confirmed | $6,000 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,231 | $2,603 | $1,703 | $2,203 |
| Debt per resident | $19 | $831 | $885 | $524 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $495 | $3,547 | $2,502 | $3,177 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.8 | 8.4 | 10.1 | 6.5 |
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). Imperial Beach and El Cerrito pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Imperial Beach publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe approved two-year budget for FY2025-26 and FY2026-27 is posted on the finance documents page. City of Imperial Beach
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe 2023 agreement and later amendments are listed as attachments to council agendas, most recently the third amendment on March 4, 2026. City of Imperial Beach · Mar 4, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineAdopted resolutions list each member's vote by name, e.g. the June 4, 2025 budget resolution. City of Imperial Beach · Jun 4, 2025
- Partly: Meeting videos and minutes onlinePast council meetings are on the city's YouTube channel. The city says 2026 minutes are in Laserfiche and asks residents to contact the clerk during a transition. City of Imperial Beach
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city salary schedule states monthly pay for the mayor, council members and city manager. City of Imperial Beach · Jun 17, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Imperial Beach
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund's unassigned balance was $14.4 million at June 30, 2025, about 47.1% of spending, above the 40% ceiling in council policy. Which capital projects will the extra money go to?
- The Sheriff's contract takes $9.1 million of the FY2026-27 general fund budget, and the budget says the five-year contract expires June 30, 2026. What do the new contract terms cost?
- Port of San Diego payments of $6.1 million are budgeted in FY2026-27 for police, fire, lifeguard and tidelands services. How closely do they match what those services cost the city?
The fiscal year starts July 1, and the city adopts a two-year budget. The council reviewed the proposed FY2025-26 and FY2026-27 budget at a public meeting on May 7, 2025 and adopted it on June 4, 2025. See who is running for council
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