How Larkspur is run
Who runs Larkspur, 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 Larkspur's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Larkspur
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
- Performance bonus of up to 5% of base salary a year, set by the council
- City matches his 457 deferred compensation contributions dollar for dollar, up to half the IRS limit
- Car allowance of $400 a month
- Mobile technology allowance of $150 a month
- $50,000 term life insurance policy
- Severance of six months' base salary if the council terminates him
- Council health benefits budget: $164,629 for FY2026-27
Larkspur city staff
35 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Funded full-time equivalent positions; one more position is vacant and unfunded. Police and fire staff work for the regional police and fire authorities and are not counted. City of Larkspur · Jun 3, 2026
The city posts salary ranges for each job by resolution. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Larkspur 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 manager presented a balanced FY2026-27 budget but wrote that pension and public safety costs are growing faster than revenue, and that the year ahead will require the council and staff to review all operations and service levels. At a November 2025 workshop the council asked staff to return with ways to adjust service levels to address budget issues. City of Larkspur · Jun 3, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $25.8M (2025-06-30). City of Larkspur · Nov 21, 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$17.4M · 63%
- Sales tax$3.2M · 12%
- Charges for services (plan checks, planning, recreation)$2.4M · 8%
- Hotel, business license and property transfer taxes$1.5M · 5%
- Franchise fees$1.2M · 4%
- Licenses and permits$1.2M · 4%
- Transfers in from special funds (Measures B and G, gas tax)$724,132 · 3%
- Other (fines, interest, grants)$159,551 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Fire (Central Marin Fire)$6.3M · 23%
- Police (Central Marin Police Authority)$5.6M · 20%
- Administration$2.6M · 10%
- Building inspection$2.3M · 8%
- Transfers out (pension bond payments, insurance)$1.5M · 6%
- Library$1.4M · 5%
- Parks$1.3M · 5%
- Engineering$1.2M · 4%
- Other (streets, planning, recreation, building upkeep, CalPERS, council)$5.4M · 20%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Larkspur is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceAnother agencyCentral Marin Police Authority (shared with Corte Madera and San Anselmo)City of Larkspur · Jun 3, 2026
- FireAnother agencyCentral Marin Fire (shared with Corte Madera)City of Larkspur · Jun 3, 2026
- Paramedic ambulanceAnother agencyRoss Valley Paramedic Authority, run by Central Marin FireFunded by a voter-approved parcel tax and service feesCity of Larkspur · Jun 3, 2026
- SewerSeparate districtRoss Valley Sanitary DistrictMarin LAFCo
- ElectricityAnother agencyMCE Clean EnergyCity of Larkspur · Jun 3, 2026
- LibraryThe cityLarkspur Library (city department)City of Larkspur · Jun 3, 2026
- ParksThe cityCity Public Works, Parks Maintenance DivisionCity of Larkspur · Jun 3, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity Public Works, Street and Facilities Maintenance DivisionCity of Larkspur · Jun 3, 2026
- Building inspection and plan checkContractorOutside contractorCity of Larkspur · Jun 3, 2026
- Animal controlAnother agencyMarin General Services AuthorityCity of Larkspur · Jun 3, 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 | Grover BeachCA | San MarinoCA | LarkspurCA | MendotaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 12,502 | 12,513 | 12,650 | 12,805 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $273,780 | $289,596 | $291,838 | $229,861 |
| Council member pay | $8,640 | No salary | $11,400 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,550 | $2,991 | $2,185 | $749 |
| Debt per resident | $3,108 | $0 | $2,935 | $337 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,284 | $3,479 | $336 | $10 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.6 | 10.3 | 2.8 | — |
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). Grover Beach and Larkspur pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Larkspur publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Larkspur · Oct 15, 2025
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Larkspur · Dec 10, 2025
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineCouncil meeting videos are posted to the city's YouTube channel; agendas and minutes are in the city's online archive. City of Larkspur
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance 1074 sets council and mayor pay at $950 per month. City of Larkspur · May 15, 2024
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Larkspur · Mar 18, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- In FY2024-25 the general fund took in $26.39 million and spent $23.52 million. Why does the city manager now say pension and public safety costs are outpacing revenue?
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget pays $6.31 million for fire and $5.58 million for police. How does the council oversee the shared police and fire authorities that spend this money?
- The city still owed $16.13 million on its 2020 pension bonds and $20.31 million on its 2018 paving bonds on June 30, 2025. How will Measure B sales tax and the general fund keep covering these payments?
The fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30. The council holds a budget workshop in the fall (November 19, 2025) and adopts the budget and capital plan at a June hearing; the FY2026-27 budget was adopted June 3, 2026. See who is running for council
Help decide what comes next
What do you want to know about Larkspur next?
One tap, no sign-in. We count answers; we never show who chose what.
Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
See something wrong? Report an error
Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.