How Monterey Park is run
Who runs Monterey Park, 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 Monterey Park's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Monterey Park
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day as its chief executive officer. The five-member council, elected by district, sets policy, adopts the budget and appoints the city manager. The city clerk and city treasurer are also elected.
What they are paid
- $600 a month car allowance
- 12 months' base salary as severance if fired without cause
- Contract runs through June 30, 2029
- Some regional and community boards that members serve on pay them separately
Monterey Park city staff
393 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Budgeted full-time equivalent positions, 4 more than in FY2025-26. City of Monterey Park · Jun 17, 2026
The city posts salary schedules for every employee group. Monterey Park runs its own police and fire departments, so officers and firefighters are city staff. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Monterey Park 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 against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $655,119 (2025-06-30). The city's own target: The city's policy keeps unrestricted general fund balance (committed, assigned and unassigned together) at no less than two months of general fund revenues or operating spending, and no more than 50% of operating spending. On June 30, 2025, $13.7 million was committed, including $8.8 million for catastrophic events, and $32.1 million was assigned to future capital projects, apart from the unassigned balance. City of Monterey Park · Dec 10, 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 tax$27.1M · 35%
- Sales tax (including the Measure MP 3/4-cent tax)$20M · 26%
- Charges for services$8.7M · 11%
- Other revenue (investment earnings, rents, fines)$7.9M · 10%
- Hotel tax (transient occupancy)$4.5M · 6%
- Utility users tax$4.1M · 5%
- Business license tax$2M · 3%
- Other (licenses and permits, property transfer and franchise taxes)$3.6M · 5%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$29.3M · 38%
- Fire and paramedics$19M · 24%
- General administration$8.2M · 11%
- Public works$3.8M · 5%
- Capital improvements$3.8M · 5%
- Recreation and community services$3.7M · 5%
- Library$3.7M · 5%
- Community and economic development$3.4M · 4%
- Other (non-departmental)$2.9M · 4%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar, about 21 cents goes to the city: its share of the 1% base levy plus a voter-approved retirement tax that helps pay pension costs. Homes in the Garvey or Montebello Unified school district areas pay those districts' bond rates instead.
21¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Monterey Park
- Other agencies' share of the 1% base levy (county, schools, special districts)0.84222 · 69%
- City of Monterey Park (share of the 1% base levy)0.15778 · 13%
- City of Monterey Park retirement tax (voter-approved, pays pension costs)0.09117 · 8%
- Los Angeles Community College District (bonds)0.05136 · 4%
- Alhambra Unified School District (bonds)0.04094 · 3%
- Metropolitan Water District0.03 · 2%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.21347
FY2024-25 rates for a home in the Alhambra Unified School District area of Monterey Park (Los Angeles County). City of Monterey Park · Dec 10, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Monterey Park is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- 911 dispatchThe cityCity of Monterey Park Police Department Communications BureauFire calls are transferred to Verdugo Fire CommunicationsCity of Monterey Park
- WaterThe cityCity of Monterey Park water systemCity of Monterey Park
- LibraryThe cityMonterey Park Bruggemeyer Library (city)City of Monterey Park
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Monterey ParkCity of Monterey Park
- City streetsThe cityCity of Monterey Park Public WorksCity of Monterey Park
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 | Monterey ParkCA | CupertinoCA | SanteeCA | San RafaelCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 59,649 | 59,765 | 59,812 | 59,890 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $315,732 | $336,810 | $298,700 | $354,065 |
| Council member pay | $6,000 | Not current (2017) | $24,519 | $18,192 |
| General fund per resident | $1,304 | $1,838 | $1,114 | $1,933 |
| Debt per resident | $2,606 | $199 | $78 | $714 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $378 | $709 | $909 | $1,414 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 6.6 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 7.0 |
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). Cupertino and Santee pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Monterey Park 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 book, with a five-year general fund projection, is posted on the city budget page. City of Monterey Park
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe April 15, 2026 council agenda packet includes the staff report and the First Amendment to the city manager's employment agreement. City of Monterey Park · Apr 15, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Monterey Park · Jun 30, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city's salary schedule page lists $500 a month for council members, the city clerk and the city treasurer. City of Monterey Park
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe salary schedule page posts pay schedules for each employee group, including executive, police, fire and part-time staff. City of Monterey Park
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $655,119 on June 30, 2025, while $32.1 million was assigned to future capital projects. How does the council decide how much to hold for capital work versus unassigned?
- Police ($29.3 million) and fire ($19.0 million) are the two largest parts of the $77.8 million general fund budget for FY2026-27. How does the council review what those departments deliver?
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