How Millbrae is run
Who runs Millbrae, 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 Millbrae's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Millbrae
A City Manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day, oversees its departments and manages the police and fire contracts. The five council members, elected by district to four-year terms, pass local laws, set policy and adopt the budget.
What they are paid
- The city puts $10,000 a year into his 457 deferred compensation account
- Same benefits as other department heads, including retirement, medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance
- Up to 80 hours a year of management leave for extra hours, taken as time off or paid out
- Eligible for CalPERS retirement and for health, dental and vision coverage for themselves and their dependents
Millbrae city staff
106 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. City of Millbrae · May 27, 2025
The city posts salary schedules for management, Teamsters, part-time staff and the council, plus the City Manager's contract and amendments. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Millbrae 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's general fund forecast shows revenue and spending roughly even through FY2027-28, with the unreserved balance easing from $13.4M to $12.9M. The budget flags risks: a hotel could close if the county buys it for housing, and pension contributions are rising. City of Millbrae · May 27, 2025
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $16.9M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: A general fund reserve of 15% of budgeted spending and transfers out in FY2025-26 and FY2026-27. The city says it will revisit the policy when its finances improve. The FY2024-25 budget set aside $6.2M of unassigned funds as this reserve. The city meets this target. City of Millbrae · Dec 30, 2025
Bar: unassigned savings of $16.9M. Line: the amount the city's target calls for.
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$18.6M · 43%
- Hotel tax (transient occupancy tax)$10.1M · 23%
- Sales tax$3.4M · 8%
- Miscellaneous$2.9M · 7%
- Fines and forfeitures$1.6M · 4%
- Franchise fees$1.6M · 4%
- Other (service charges, permits, interest, other taxes and grants)$5.2M · 12%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Fire (Central County Fire contract)$13.4M · 31%
- Police (Sheriff's Office contract)$11.7M · 27%
- General government$5.1M · 12%
- Public works$4.4M · 10%
- Community development$3.9M · 9%
- Transfers out$2.8M · 6%
- Other (parks, less budgeted vacancy savings)$2.1M · 5%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of the bill is the 1% base levy that Proposition 13 caps; the county splits it, and the city gets about 15.8 cents of each dollar. The rest pays for voter-approved bonds, mostly for schools.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Millbrae
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, the city, schools and districts)The city's share is about 15.8 cents of each dollar1 · 91%
- School bonds0.0859 · 8%
- Other voter-approved rates0.0093 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.0952
FY2024-25 rates for a home in Millbrae (San Mateo County). City of Millbrae · Dec 30, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Millbrae is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe countySan Mateo County Sheriff's Office (Millbrae Police Bureau)City of Millbrae · May 27, 2025
- Fire and emergency medicalAnother agencyCentral County Fire DepartmentTwo fire stations in Millbrae; Millbrae joined CCFD in 2014City of Millbrae
- WaterThe cityCity of Millbrae (water utility)Buys its water from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's Hetch Hetchy systemCity of Millbrae · Dec 30, 2025
- Sewer and wastewater treatmentThe cityCity of MillbraeCity of Millbrae · Dec 30, 2025
- Storm drainsThe cityCity of MillbraeCity of Millbrae · Dec 30, 2025
- Trash and recyclingContractorSouth San Francisco Scavenger CompanyCity of Millbrae
- LibraryThe countySan Mateo County LibrariesSan Mateo County Libraries
- Streets, parks and recreationThe cityCity of MillbraeCity of Millbrae · Dec 30, 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 | American CanyonCA | ImperialCA | MillbraeCA | MarinaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 22,619 | 22,984 | 23,062 | 23,322 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $303,000 | Not confirmed | $317,788 | $301,900 |
| Council member pay | $11,400 | Not confirmed | $11,400 | $24,000 |
| General fund per resident | $1,511 | $820 | $1,883 | $2,305 |
| Debt per resident | $447 | $1,195 | $2,194 | $2,574 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $464 | $267 | $2,473 | $1,255 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.4 | 7.0 | 4.6 | 5.7 |
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). American Canyon and Imperial and Millbrae pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Millbrae 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 onlineThe 2018 agreement and its amendments, including Resolution 24-84 from Oct. 2024, are linked from the Salary and Benefit Information page. City of Millbrae
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member onlineAdopted resolutions list each member's vote, e.g. Resolution 24-84. Minutes are posted in the Agenda Center; we did not review them all. City of Millbrae · Oct 8, 2024
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe council salary schedule lists $950 a month ($11,400 a year), and the City Council page states the same monthly amount. City of Millbrae · Jan 1, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe city posts salary schedules for management, Teamsters and part-time staff, effective July 1, 2026 and Jan. 1, 2026. City of Millbrae
Questions to ask your council
- Hotel tax is budgeted at $10.1 million in FY2026-27, the second-largest general fund revenue after property tax. What is the plan if a hotel closes or travel stays weak?
- The city's three CalPERS plans were $57.0 million short of full funding at June 30, 2025. How will rising pension payments fit in the general fund forecast?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $16.9 million at June 30, 2025, of which $6.2 million was set aside as the reserve. How does the council decide what to do with the rest?
- The fire ($13.4 million) and police ($11.7 million) contracts make up more than half of FY2026-27 general fund spending. How does the council review what those contracts deliver?
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