How Lompoc is run
Who runs Lompoc, 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 Lompoc's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Lompoc
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
- Six months' base salary as severance if fired without cause
- $350 a month car allowance
- CalPERS pension (2% at 60 formula); he pays the full employee contribution
- May cash out all unused sick leave when he leaves (2025 amendment)
- Contract extended to January 3, 2028
- Expense reimbursement and health and other benefits are separate from the salary
Lompoc city staff
391 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 72, Solid waste 35, Water 34, Fire 30, Electric 23. FY2025-27. Regular budgeted positions in the FY2025-27 adopted budget, all funds. The audited report counts 389.25 budgeted full-time employees at the end of FY2024-25. City of Lompoc · Jun 17, 2025
The city adopts a publicly available pay schedule by job classification. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Lompoc 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
Unassigned general fund balance: $8.3M (2025-06-30). City of Lompoc · Feb 18, 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 and franchises$33.6M · 56%
- Internal service charges (paid by other city funds)$13.3M · 22%
- Transfers from other funds$7.6M · 13%
- Other revenue$2.2M · 4%
- Revenue from other agencies$1M · 2%
- Current service charges$986,344 · 2%
- Other (licenses, permits, interest, rents, fines)$1.2M · 2%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety (police and fire)$27.4M · 46%
- Community development$8.5M · 14%
- Public works$7.2M · 12%
- Management services$7M · 12%
- City administration$4.4M · 7%
- Non-departmental$3.1M · 5%
- Library services$1.8M · 3%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Lompoc homeowner pays, about 15 cents goes to the city. The rest of the 1% base levy goes to other local agencies, and three voter-approved bonds add about 0.1%. The city has no voter-approved debt rate of its own.
15¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Lompoc
- City of Lompoc (share of the 1% base levy)0.16728 · 15%
- Rest of the 1% base levy (other local agencies)0.83272 · 76%
- Lompoc Health Care bond0.06141 · 6%
- Allan Hancock Community College bond (2006)0.02153 · 2%
- Lompoc Unified School bond (2003)0.01624 · 1%
- Total (percent)1.09918
FY2024-25 rates for a home in the city of Lompoc (Santa Barbara County). City of Lompoc · Feb 18, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Lompoc is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityLompoc Police DepartmentCity of Lompoc · Feb 18, 2026
- FireThe cityLompoc Fire DepartmentCity of Lompoc · Feb 18, 2026
- Emergency medical responseThe cityLompoc Fire DepartmentCity of Lompoc · Jun 17, 2025
- ElectricityThe cityCity of Lompoc Electric UtilityCity of Lompoc · Feb 18, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of LompocCity of Lompoc · Feb 18, 2026
- Sewer (wastewater)The cityCity of LompocCity of Lompoc · Feb 18, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Lompoc Public WorksCity of Lompoc · Feb 18, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of LompocCity of Lompoc · Feb 18, 2026
- LibraryThe cityLompoc Public Library (city)City of Lompoc · Feb 18, 2026
- Public transitThe cityCity of LompocCity of Lompoc · Feb 18, 2026
- AirportThe cityLompoc Municipal Airport (city-run)City of Lompoc · Feb 18, 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 | San BrunoCA | LompocCA | DanvilleCA | CampbellCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 42,411 | 43,073 | 43,190 | 43,195 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $360,817 | $279,804 | $305,000 | $358,883 |
| Council member pay | $5,832 | Not current (2023) | $16,644 | $15,300 |
| General fund per resident | $1,774 | $1,378 | $788 | $1,713 |
| Debt per resident | $1,288 | $1,205 | $81 | $1,175 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,820 | $2,450 | $0 | $1,677 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 6.2 | 9.1 | 3.5 | 4.3 |
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). Danville and Campbell pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Lompoc 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 Lompoc · Jun 17, 2025
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe original 2021 agreement and all five amendments are attached to council staff reports on the city website. City of Lompoc · Feb 3, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance No. 1701(22) sets $1,200 a month per member plus $200 a month for the mayor. City of Lompoc · Nov 1, 2022
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Lompoc · Feb 3, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $8.3 million on June 30, 2025, below the city's own two-month target. When does the council expect to meet it, and will it adopt the 25% goal?
- The city's net pension liability was $105.5 million, and CalPERS cost increases are projected through FY2031-32. How will the FY2027-29 budget absorb them?
- In FY2024-25 the general fund spent $60.1 million against $51.1 million of revenue before transfers. How long can transfers from other funds, including the electric utility, keep covering that gap?
- Public safety is $27.4 million of the $59.3 million FY2026-27 general fund budget. What would it take to keep current police and fire staffing in the next budget?
Help decide what comes next
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