How Monrovia is run
Who runs Monrovia, 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 Monrovia's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Monrovia
A city manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day as its chief executive officer. The council has five members: a mayor elected citywide to a two-year term and four council members elected at large to four-year terms. The council sets policy and appoints the city manager and city attorney. The city clerk and city treasurer are also elected.
What they are paid
- Six months' salary plus benefit costs as severance if fired without cause
- $450 a month car allowance
- Possible yearly performance bonus of up to 5% of salary
- City pays up to the non-safety employee maximum toward medical, dental and vision coverage
- Members who decline city medical can put the same amount into deferred compensation
- CalPERS retirement (2.7% at 55 formula) for qualifying elected officials
- No car, phone or technology allowance
Monrovia city staff
238 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 80, Fire 47. FY2024-25. City of Monrovia · Dec 19, 2025
The city posts salary schedules and labor contracts by employee group on its Compensation and Benefits page. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Monrovia 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 projects a $2.40 million deficit, or $2.65 million without one-time PFAS settlement money, down from the $2.65 million gap first forecast. Staff say spending keeps growing faster than revenue, which could mean continued deficits, and expect the CalPERS unfunded-liability payment to rise about $840,000 more in FY2027-28. City of Monrovia · Jun 16, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $-18.2M (2025-06-30). That means every dollar the general fund has saved is set aside in a named reserve or category, not that it has no savings. City of Monrovia · Dec 19, 2025
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 taxes (including property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees)$19.3M · 31%
- Transfers in (overhead and pension reimbursements from other city funds)$13.4M · 21%
- Sales tax$12.7M · 20%
- Other taxes (hotel tax, franchises, business license)$5.9M · 9%
- Other revenue (reimbursements, sponsorships, other)$5.2M · 8%
- Charges for services (plan checks, paramedic fees, recreation)$3.3M · 5%
- Licenses and permits$1.5M · 2%
- Other (interest and rents, state and county money, fines)$1.4M · 2%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$19.9M · 30%
- Fire and paramedics$17.7M · 27%
- Administration (council, manager, clerk, treasurer, attorney, finance, human resources)$6.1M · 9%
- Recreation, community services and parks$5.9M · 9%
- Non-departmental (includes $3.74 million in transfers out)$5.7M · 9%
- Community development (planning, building, code enforcement)$5M · 8%
- Library$3.6M · 5%
- Other (public works administration, engineering, animal control)$1.3M · 2%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
California caps the base property tax at 1% of assessed value; voter-approved rates are added on top. Monrovia's largest add-on is its own voter-approved pension tax, which funds the city's Retirement Fund.
10¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Monrovia
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, the city, schools and other agencies)1 · 78%
- City of Monrovia voter-approved pension override0.128519 · 10%
- School district bonds0.105996 · 8%
- Community college bonds0.043522 · 3%
- Metropolitan Water District bonds0.007 · <1%
- Total (per $100 of assessed value)1.285037
FY2024-25 rates for a home in the city of Monrovia (Los Angeles County). City of Monrovia · Dec 19, 2025
See what a Monrovia home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Monrovia is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityMonrovia Police DepartmentCity of Monrovia · Dec 19, 2025
- FireThe cityMonrovia Fire DepartmentCity of Monrovia · Dec 19, 2025
- EMS / paramedicsThe cityMonrovia Fire DepartmentCity of Monrovia · Jun 17, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of Monrovia water utilityCity of Monrovia · Jun 17, 2025
- SewerThe cityCity of Monrovia Public Works (about 92 miles of city sewers)City of Monrovia
- Trash and recyclingContractorAthens ServicesExclusive franchise for commercial serviceCity of Monrovia
- City streetsThe cityCity of Monrovia Public Works, Street Division90 miles of streets and 12 miles of alleysCity of Monrovia · Jun 17, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Monrovia Community Services and Public Works9 urban parks and over 1,450 acres of hillside wilderness preserveCity of Monrovia · Dec 19, 2025
- LibraryThe cityMonrovia Public Library (city)City of Monrovia · Jun 17, 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 | MontclairCA | Bell GardensCA | WildomarCA | MonroviaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 38,378 | 38,484 | 38,841 | 39,094 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $304,512 | Not confirmed | $281,000 | $280,716 |
| Council member pay | $17,256 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $15,300 |
| General fund per resident | $1,085 | $1,370 | $529 | $1,668 |
| Debt per resident | $3,428 | $104 | $29 | $3,753 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $794 | $1,328 | $22 | $971 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.3 | 4.1 | 1.5 | 6.1 |
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). Wildomar pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Monrovia 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 Monrovia
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member onlineResolutions list ayes and noes by name, but minutes often say only that a motion carried unanimously by roll call. City of Monrovia
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of Monrovia
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget projects a $2.40 million deficit, or $2.65 million without one-time PFAS settlement money. Which cuts or new revenues is the council weighing to close the gap?
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