How Montclair is run
Who runs Montclair, 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 Montclair's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Montclair
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
- Severance capped at 12 months' salary
- $1,000 a month car allowance
- City pays his health insurance premiums, including in retirement for him and one dependent
- Life insurance equal to twice his base salary
- 280 hours of vacation a year
- Contract ran to Dec. 31, 2026 and then renews each year automatically
Montclair city staff
205 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 82, Public works 35, Fire 30, Human services (recreation, seniors, after-school) 16, City manager's office (incl. finance, IT, solid waste) 16, Community development 15, Administrative services 7, Economic development 4. FY2026-27. Budgeted full-time positions: 204.76 for the city and 0.24 for the redevelopment successor agency. The budget freezes nine vacant full-time positions. City of Montclair · Jun 16, 2026
The city posts a salary schedule with yearly, monthly and hourly ranges for every job. We did not pull pay bands. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Montclair 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 projects a $631,544 general fund deficit, closed with unassigned reserves. The city manager says the deficit likely is not a structural problem, but warns it may grow because contracts with most employee groups ended June 30, 2026 and were still being negotiated. About 70.4% of general fund revenue comes from sales and transactions and use taxes. City of Montclair · Jun 16, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $5.6M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: The council's minimum is an unassigned reserve of at least 25% of the general fund operating budget. The FY2026-27 budget projects $5.47M at June 30, 2027, about 13.14% of spending, short of that minimum. The general fund also holds $31.3M assigned to set purposes, such as $9.6M for a parking facility. City of Montclair · May 8, 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
- Sales and use tax$10.6M · 26%
- Property taxes (incl. in-lieu of vehicle license fees)$9.9M · 24%
- Measure L local sales tax$8.6M · 21%
- Charges for services (mostly trash fees)$4.7M · 11%
- Utility users tax$2.4M · 6%
- Other taxes (franchise, business license, hotel, other)$2.3M · 6%
- Interest and miscellaneous$1.4M · 3%
- Other (permits, fines, state aid)$1.1M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$12.8M · 31%
- City manager's office (incl. finance, IT, trash program)$6.6M · 16%
- Fire$5.2M · 13%
- Citywide costs$5.1M · 12%
- Public works$4.6M · 11%
- Human services (recreation, seniors)$2.4M · 6%
- Administrative services (clerk, personnel)$1.8M · 4%
- Other (community development, economic development, council, city attorney)$3.2M · 8%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Montclair is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityMontclair Police DepartmentCity of Montclair · Jun 16, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityMontclair Police Department communications centerCity of Montclair · Jun 16, 2026
- EMS / paramedicsThe cityMontclair Fire DepartmentCity of Montclair · Jun 16, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of MontclairThe city maintains the sewer mains and pays the Inland Empire Utilities Agency for sewage disposal.City of Montclair · Jun 16, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorBurrtec Waste Industries (city contract)The city bills for residential trash.City of Montclair
- StreetsThe cityCity of Montclair Public WorksCity of Montclair · Jun 16, 2026
- ParksThe cityCity of Montclair Public WorksCity of Montclair · Jun 16, 2026
- RecreationThe cityCity of Montclair Human Services DepartmentCity of Montclair · Jun 16, 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 | ClaremontCA | MontclairCA | Bell GardensCA | WildomarCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 38,262 | 38,378 | 38,484 | 38,841 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $299,752 | $304,512 | Not confirmed | $281,000 |
| Council member pay | $15,300 | $17,256 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,072 | $1,085 | $1,370 | $529 |
| Debt per resident | $370 | $3,428 | $104 | $29 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,341 | $794 | $1,328 | $22 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 5.3 | 4.1 | 1.5 |
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). Wildomar pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Montclair publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 preliminary budget, set for adoption June 25, 2026, is online; the city's Budgets page still lists FY2025-26 as the latest. City of Montclair
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Montclair · Jan 2, 2023
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list who moved, seconded and voted yes or no on each motion; they are posted in later meeting packets. City of Montclair · Jul 6, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineCouncil meetings are livestreamed on YouTube with recordings on the city website; agendas, packets and minutes are posted. City of Montclair
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentAgenda reports for Ordinance No. 26-1018 state council pay of $1,438 a month and $750 a month extra for the mayor. City of Montclair · Sep 8, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Montclair · Oct 5, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $5.58 million on June 30, 2025, and the budget projects $5.47 million by June 30, 2027, about 13% of spending against the council's 25% minimum. What is the plan to reach 25%?
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget uses $631,544 of reserves to balance. How will the city cover any added cost from the labor contracts still being negotiated?
- San Bernardino County Fire has staffed one of the city's two fire stations since Sept. 4, 2026 while the city studies annexation. How would annexation change what the general fund spends on fire service?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city manager presented the proposed budget on June 16, 2026, and the council reviewed it at a special meeting on June 25, 2026, where it was set to adopt the budget and the appropriations limit. See who is running for council
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