How Lathrop is run
Who runs Lathrop, 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 Lathrop's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Lathrop
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
- Four weeks of management leave a year
- Automobile allowance of $450 a month, plus mileage for long business trips
- Up to 40 hours of sick leave can be cashed out each year
- City pays his share of CalPERS retirement contributions
- Auto allowance of $500 a month for each council member, approved June 8, 2026
Lathrop city staff
198 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public safety 71, Public works 50. FY2026-27. Budgeted positions for FY2026-27, up from 192.45 in FY2024-25. Public safety has 70.89 and public works 50.28. City of Lathrop
The city posts a grade-step table with pay ranges for every job title. We did not find a city list of pay by employee. Named pay here is only for elected officials and the city manager. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Lathrop 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 says the two-year budget balances the general fund in both years without using reserves. The budget says the city's 10-year model projects moderate revenue growth, but rising expenditure growth shows structural budget issues that will need decisive council action. City of Lathrop
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $22.6M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: City staff present general fund budgets that keep unassigned fund balance between 10% and 50% of annual operating appropriations and transfers. The June 30, 2025 unassigned balance includes $7.0M for contingency and emergencies and $5.75M for fiscal stabilization. City of Lathrop · Dec 16, 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
- Transfers in from other funds$14.4M · 32%
- Property taxes$9.4M · 21%
- Sales taxes$6.9M · 16%
- Intergovernmental$5.7M · 13%
- Franchise taxes$2.5M · 6%
- Other (interest and rents, hotel tax, service charges, permits, fines, other)$5.5M · 12%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety (police, animal center, community services)$19.8M · 45%
- General government$8M · 18%
- Information systems$5.1M · 12%
- Public works$4.1M · 9%
- Parks and recreation$3.1M · 7%
- Finance$2.2M · 5%
- Other (planning, assessment districts, capital projects)$1.9M · 4%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of the bill is the 1% general levy that Proposition 13 allows, shared by all local agencies. The rest is voter-approved school debt. The city has no voter-approved rate of its own on this bill. The city's share of the 1% varies by tax rate area.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Lathrop
- 1% general levy (shared by San Joaquin County, the city, schools and special districts)1 · 89%
- Voter-approved school bonds0.1294 · 11%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.1294
FY2024-25 rates for a home in the city of Lathrop (San Joaquin County). City of Lathrop · Dec 16, 2025
See what a Lathrop home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Lathrop is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityLathrop Police DepartmentThe city launched its own police department on June 29, 2022, replacing the county sheriffCity of Lathrop
- FireSeparate districtLathrop-Manteca Fire Protection DistrictFunded separately by the fire districtCity of Lathrop · Dec 16, 2025
- Emergency responseSeparate districtLathrop-Manteca Fire Protection DistrictTrained personnel 24 hours a day for emergency assistanceCity of Lathrop · Dec 16, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of LathropLocal groundwater plus surface water bought from the South San Joaquin Irrigation DistrictCity of Lathrop
- SewerThe cityCity of LathropCity of Lathrop
- Trash and recyclingPrivate companyRepublic ServicesCity of Lathrop
- StreetsThe cityCity of LathropCity of Lathrop · Dec 16, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of LathropCity of Lathrop · Dec 16, 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 | CalexicoCA | Culver CityCA | Rancho Palos VerdesCA | LathropCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 39,881 | 40,730 | 40,893 | 40,942 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $220,000 | $370,000 | $282,014 | $320,961 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $15,135 | $4,800 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $623 | $5,042 | $1,008 | $1,082 |
| Debt per resident | $995 | $384 | $141 | $333 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $919 | $7,687 | $388 | $210 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.7 | 21.2 | 2.6 | 4.8 |
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). Rancho Palos Verdes and Lathrop pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Lathrop publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe Budget page posts the adopted FY2025-27 two-year budget and capital program, with earlier budgets. City of Lathrop
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe 2012 agreement and six amendments are attached to the Sept. 9, 2024 council staff report. City of Lathrop · Sep 9, 2024
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list ayes, noes and absences by name, e.g. the 3-0 vote on pay plans on June 8, 2026. City of Lathrop · Jun 8, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Lathrop
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of Lathrop · Jun 8, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Lathrop
Questions to ask your council
- Transfers in from other funds make up $14.4 million of the $44.3 million FY2026-27 general fund budget. How much of that comes from the Measure C sales tax, and what would change if it fell short?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $22.6 million on June 30, 2025, inside the city's 10% to 50% target. What would the council use the amount above the minimum for?
- The budget says rising expenditure growth shows structural budget issues that will need decisive council action. Which actions does the 10-year model point to?
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