How Los Banos is run
Who runs Los Banos, 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 Los Banos's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Los Banos
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
- Three-year term from November 3, 2025 to November 3, 2028, with an optional two-year extension
- $550 a month car allowance and $100 a month cell phone allowance
- City matches deferred compensation up to 5% of salary
- Severance of up to six months' base salary if terminated without cause
- $75 a month cell phone allowance
Los Banos city staff
247 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Up from 227 in FY2025-26 and 205 in FY2024-25. City of Los Banos · Jun 17, 2026
The FY2026-27 budget funds 247 full-time equivalent positions. The budget posts a salary schedule by job title. We found no list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Los Banos 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 budget spends $10,938,101 more than general fund revenue, mostly one-time projects such as the $8 million Development Services Center paid from reserves set aside earlier. The city's five-year forecast shows small surpluses in FY2027-28 and FY2028-29, then gaps of $28,853 in FY2029-30 and $509,297 in FY2030-31. General fund balance is projected at about $33.6 million in FY2030-31. City of Los Banos · Jun 17, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $27.5M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: The city aims to keep a minimum general fund reserve of 30% of projected spending. It holds this as an assigned "fiscal stability" reserve of $8,177,945, separate from the unassigned balance. City of Los Banos · Jan 20, 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
- Drawn from reserves for one-time projects$10.9M · 27%
- Property tax$7.3M · 18%
- Sales tax$6.7M · 17%
- Property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$5.2M · 13%
- Charges for services$2.6M · 6%
- Other taxes$2.5M · 6%
- Licenses and permits$1.7M · 4%
- Other$3.5M · 9%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$13.8M · 34%
- Administration (includes the $8 million Development Services Center)$10.7M · 26%
- Community and economic development$4.2M · 10%
- Fire$3M · 7%
- Streets$2.5M · 6%
- Parks maintenance$2.3M · 6%
- Recreation$1.3M · 3%
- Other$2.8M · 7%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Proposition 13 caps the base property tax at 1% of assessed value, shared by all taxing agencies. Voter-approved school and college bonds add to it. The city's share varies by tax rate area.
17¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Los Banos
- City of Los BanosThe city's share of the 1% base levy.0.1954 · 17%
- Merced County and other agencies sharing the 1% levy0.8046 · 72%
- Los Banos Unified School District bonds0.1054 · 9%
- Merced College bonds0.0176 · 2%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.123
FY2024-25 rates for a home in the city of Los Banos (Merced County). City of Los Banos · Jan 20, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Los Banos is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityLos Banos Police DepartmentCity of Los Banos · Jun 17, 2026
- Fire protectionThe cityLos Banos Fire DepartmentTwo fire stations.City of Los Banos · Jun 17, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityLos Banos Police Department Communications DivisionCity of Los Banos · Jun 17, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Los BanosCity of Los Banos · Jan 20, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Los BanosCity of Los Banos · Jan 20, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorMid Valley DisposalCity of Los Banos · Jun 17, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Los BanosCity of Los Banos · Jan 20, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Los Banos Parks and Recreation DepartmentCity of Los Banos · 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 | AzusaCA | CeresCA | Los BanosCA | Aliso ViejoCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 48,549 | 49,075 | 49,255 | 49,945 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $335,000 | $198,000 | $238,800 | $340,000 |
| Council member pay | $15,300 | Not confirmed | $3,600 | $6,240 |
| General fund per resident | $1,743 | $570 | $821 | $598 |
| Debt per resident | $2,020 | $152 | $277 | $221 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $431 | $878 | $649 | $32 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 3.4 | 5.0 | 0.7 |
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). Ceres and Aliso Viejo pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Los Banos publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 adopted budget and budgets back to FY2017-18 are posted on the Finance page. City of Los Banos · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Los Banos · Jun 3, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget salary schedule lists the mayor at $400 a month and council members at $300 a month. City of Los Banos · Jun 17, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Los Banos · Jun 17, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget spends $40,449,796 against $29,511,695 of revenue, using reserves for one-time projects. Which projects will the reserves fund, and what will be left after FY2026-27?
- The five-year forecast shows a general fund gap of $509,297 in FY2030-31. What will the council do to close it?
- The FY2026-27 budget raises staffing from 227 to 247 full-time equivalents. What will the added positions cost the general fund each year?
The fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30. The council holds a goals workshop in May and public hearings in June, then adopts the budget at its second June meeting. For FY2026-27, hearings were June 3 and June 17, 2026, and the salary schedule was approved June 17, 2026. See who is running for council
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