How Lodi is run
Who runs Lodi, 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 Lodi's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Lodi
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day and appoints department heads. The five council members, each elected by district, set policy and adopt the budget. The council also appoints the city manager, city attorney and city clerk.
What they are paid
- Car allowance of $300 a month
- CalPERS pension on the same terms as other executive managers, plus a deferred compensation match of at least 3% of salary
- About 160 hours of vacation a year (accrued as if in her 24th year of service), 96 hours of sick leave and 80 hours of administrative leave that can be cashed out
- Three-year term ending June 21, 2029
Lodi city staff
480 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Full-time employees funded in the FY2026-27 budget. The FY2024-25 audited report counted 450 full-time equivalent employees. City of Lodi · Jun 17, 2026
The city posts a salary schedule with pay ranges for every job title, adopted by council resolution. 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 Lodi 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 is balanced by using $3.9M of fund balance to cover new labor contract costs. The city's five-year forecast shows ongoing and growing structural deficits after this year through FY2030-31. It projects reserves staying above the 16% target through FY2028-29 and falling below it from FY2029-30, with draws on the pension stabilization fund starting in FY2027-28. City of Lodi · Jun 17, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $29.2M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance of at least 16% of revenues: 8% as a catastrophic reserve for declared emergencies and 8% as an economic reserve. The budget says FY2026-27 is the twelfth straight year these targets are fully funded. The general fund also held $22.0M restricted for pensions. The city meets this target. City of Lodi · Apr 30, 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
- Taxes (property, sales, Measure L sales tax and other taxes)$57.6M · 60%
- Interfund credits from other funds$15.6M · 16%
- Intergovernmental revenue$9.6M · 10%
- Interest and rents$8.7M · 9%
- Charges for services$2.6M · 3%
- Other (fines, licenses and permits, miscellaneous)$2.1M · 2%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$35.6M · 37%
- Fire$21.6M · 22%
- Non-departmental (transfers, debt service and citywide costs)$18M · 19%
- Administrative services$9.3M · 10%
- Public works$5.3M · 6%
- Other (city manager, city attorney, city clerk, community facilities district, community improvement, library)$6.4M · 7%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of the bill is the 1% general levy, which San Joaquin County splits among local agencies. The rest is voter-approved debt, mostly for schools. The city has no voter-approved debt rate of its own on this bill.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Lodi
- 1% general levy (shared by San Joaquin County, the city, schools and special districts)1 · 93%
- School district voter-approved debt0.0594 · 6%
- All other voter-approved levies0.0122 · 1%
- Total (per $100 of assessed value)1.0716
FY2024-25 rates for a property in the city of Lodi (San Joaquin County, tax rate area 1-001). City of Lodi · Apr 30, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Lodi is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityLodi Police DepartmentAlso runs the city jail and animal servicesCity of Lodi · Jun 17, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityLodi Police Department communications centerCity of Lodi · Jun 17, 2026
- FireThe cityLodi Fire DepartmentFour stationsCity of Lodi · Jun 17, 2026
- Emergency medical responseThe cityLodi Fire DepartmentCity of Lodi · Jun 17, 2026
- ElectricityThe cityLodi Electric UtilityCity-owned electric utilityCity of Lodi · Jun 17, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Lodi Public Works, Water UtilityCity of Lodi · Jun 17, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Lodi Public Works, Wastewater UtilityCity of Lodi · Jun 17, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorWM (Waste Management), under an exclusive city franchiseCity of Lodi
- StreetsThe cityCity of Lodi Public Works, Streets DivisionCity of Lodi · Jun 17, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Lodi Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services DepartmentCity of Lodi · Jun 17, 2026
- LibraryThe cityLodi Public Library (city)City of Lodi · Jun 17, 2026
- Public transitThe cityCity of Lodi Transit Division (GrapeLine), operated by a private contractorCity of Lodi · Jun 17, 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 | LynwoodCA | LodiCA | CamarilloCA | Palo AltoCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 66,901 | 68,513 | 68,764 | 69,004 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $315,000 | $285,000 | $349,196 | $435,510 |
| Council member pay | $11,700 | $19,200 | $19,447 | $19,200 |
| General fund per resident | $725 | $1,404 | $965 | $4,521 |
| Debt per resident | $1,640 | $1,591 | $233 | $5,382 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $591 | $2,437 | $482 | $7,311 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 7.0 | 2.5 | 15.8 |
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). Lynwood and Camarillo pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Lodi 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 Lodi
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Lodi · Jun 17, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city salary schedule lists council member pay of $738.46 per pay period. City of Lodi · Aug 19, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Lodi · Aug 19, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget uses $3.9 million of fund balance, and the city's forecast shows growing structural deficits through FY2030-31. Which new revenue or spending changes will the council consider first?
- The forecast shows general fund reserves falling below the 16% target from FY2029-30. What would the city do before that happens?
- CalPERS reported Lodi's two pension plans $167.0 million short at June 30, 2025, and the yearly shortfall payment equals 11.8% of projected revenue. How long can the pension stabilization fund cover rising payments?
- Auditors modified their FY2024-25 opinion because of how the city reported pension cash-outs to CalPERS, and the audit was dated April 30, 2026. When will that be fixed?
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