How Martinez is run
Who runs Martinez, 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 Martinez's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Martinez
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
- 3% cost-of-living raise in FY2026-27, as stated in his contract (per the budget staff report)
Martinez city staff
151 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. City of Martinez · Jun 24, 2026
The city publishes a citywide salary schedule with each job's pay range, adopted with the budget. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Martinez 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: $11.9M (2025-06-30). City of Martinez · Jan 28, 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
- Property tax$12.9M · 33%
- Sales tax$5.6M · 15%
- Property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$4.9M · 13%
- Measure X half-cent sales tax$4.7M · 12%
- Franchise fees$2.2M · 6%
- Cannabis community benefit payments$1.3M · 3%
- Business licenses$1.1M · 3%
- Interest$1M · 3%
- Other$4.8M · 13%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Salaries and wages$18M · 44%
- Employee benefits (incl. pensions)$12.3M · 30%
- Other operating costs$5.7M · 14%
- Professional and administrative services$3.3M · 8%
- Materials and supplies$711,525 · 2%
- Charges from other city funds$679,335 · 2%
- Other (transfers out, net of asset adjustments)$3,593 · 0%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Every property pays the 1% base levy, which the county splits among local agencies; the city's budget says Martinez receives about 15.92% of the 1% levy. Voter-approved bonds for schools, the city's parks, BART, the community college and regional parks bring the total to 1.1723%.
1¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Martinez
- 1% base levy (shared by county, schools, city, fire district and others)1 · 85%
- Martinez Unified School District bonds0.1251 · 11%
- City of Martinez park bond (2008)0.0167 · 1%
- BART0.0152 · 1%
- Contra Costa Community College bonds0.0142 · 1%
- East Bay Regional Park bonds0.0011 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.1723
FY2025-26 rates for a home in Martinez (Contra Costa County, tax rate area 05000). Contra Costa County Auditor-Controller · Oct 1, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Martinez is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityMartinez Police DepartmentCity of Martinez · Jan 28, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityMartinez Police Department dispatchCity of Martinez
- WaterThe cityCity of Martinez Water SystemCity of Martinez
- Trash and recyclingContractorRepublic ServicesCity of Martinez
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of MartinezCity of Martinez
- StreetsThe cityCity of Martinez Public WorksCity of Martinez · Jan 28, 2026
- Planning, building and code enforcementThe cityCity of MartinezCity of Martinez · Jan 28, 2026
- Animal controlThe countyContra Costa CountyContracted, $495,000 in FY2026-27.City of Martinez · Jun 24, 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 Juan CapistranoCA | MartinezCA | AdelantoCA | PacificaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 35,331 | 36,521 | 36,652 | 37,073 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $362,100 | $282,468 | Not confirmed | $330,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $9,984 | $10,201 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,250 | $1,083 | $731 | $1,497 |
| Debt per resident | $610 | $1,451 | $1,780 | $1,913 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $413 | $1,460 | $47 | $1,879 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 1.8 | 4.1 | — | 5.5 |
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). San Juan Capistrano and Adelanto and Pacifica pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Martinez publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: Adopted budget posted online City of Martinez
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe did not find Michael Chandler's employment agreement on the city manager page or the finance page. City of Martinez
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Martinez · Aug 5, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Martinez
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of Martinez · Jun 24, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Martinez · Jun 24, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The marina still owes $1.6 million in old state loans and relies on yearly general fund loans to cover its deficits. What is the long-term plan for the marina's finances?
- General fund spending exceeded revenue by $3.8 million in FY2024-25. Which parts of that gap were one-time, and which are expected to recur?
The fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30, and the city must adopt its budget before July 1. The council held a budget workshop on June 10, 2026 and adopted the FY2026-27 budget on June 24, 2026. Staff promised a first-quarter budget update by September 30, 2026 and a mid-year update. See who is running for council
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