How Moraga is run
Who runs Moraga, 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 Moraga's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Moraga
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
- Town pays 7% of his salary into a 457 or 401(a) deferred compensation plan
- Can cash out up to one year of unused sick leave when he leaves
Moraga city staff
42 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 14, Public works 10, Parks and recreation 6, Planning 5, Administrative services 4, Town manager, clerk 3. FY2026-27. Authorized full-time equivalent positions. The budget also funds part-time and seasonal temporary employees. Town of Moraga · Jun 25, 2025
The town posts a salary schedule with pay ranges for each job in its council packets. We found no town list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Moraga 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 budget is balanced in both years without service cuts. The town's 10-year forecast, made without any balancing steps, shows spending growing faster than revenue: a gap of $0.52 million in FY2025-26 that widens to $3.33 million by FY2034-35. Town of Moraga · Jun 25, 2025
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $367,873 (2025-06-30). Town of Moraga · 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 taxes$6.2M · 45%
- Sales tax$1.4M · 11%
- Parks and recreation fees$1.3M · 9%
- Franchise fees$1.2M · 9%
- Transfers in from other funds$1M · 7%
- Public works charges$740,415 · 5%
- Planning fees$673,391 · 5%
- Other (interest, general government, police, misc.)$1.2M · 9%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$4M · 29%
- Public works$2.4M · 18%
- Parks and recreation$2.2M · 16%
- Non-departmental (pension payments, insurance)$1.8M · 13%
- General government (council, manager, clerk, attorney)$1.3M · 10%
- Planning$989,089 · 7%
- Administrative services$978,151 · 7%
- Other (transfers out)$113,469 · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Every property pays the 1% base levy, which the county splits among local agencies; the town's share is 0.052732 of the 1.000000 base rate, about 5.3 cents of each base-levy dollar. Voter-approved bonds for schools, BART, the community college and regional parks bring the total to 1.1139%. The town has no voter-approved debt rate.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Moraga
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, schools, the town and special districts)The town's share is about 5.3 cents of each base-levy dollar1 · 90%
- Moraga School District bonds0.0526 · 5%
- Acalanes Union High School District bonds0.031 · 3%
- BART0.0148 · 1%
- Contra Costa Community College District bonds0.0142 · 1%
- East Bay Regional Park District bond0.0013 · <1%
- Total (percent of assessed value)1.1139
FY2024-25 rates for a home in Moraga (Contra Costa County). Town of Moraga · Dec 10, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Moraga is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityMoraga Police Department12 sworn officers, including the chiefTown of Moraga · Jun 25, 2025
- 911 and police dispatchThe countyContra Costa County Office of the Sheriff (contract)Town of Moraga · Aug 27, 2025
- FireSeparate districtMoraga-Orinda Fire DistrictTown of Moraga · Dec 10, 2025
- Emergency medical servicesSeparate districtMoraga-Orinda Fire DistrictTown of Moraga · Dec 10, 2025
- WaterSeparate districtEast Bay Municipal Utility DistrictTown of Moraga · Dec 10, 2025
- SewerSeparate districtCentral Contra Costa Sanitary DistrictTown of Moraga · Dec 10, 2025
- LibraryThe countyContra Costa County LibraryHoused in a building the town owns and maintainsTown of Moraga · Dec 10, 2025
- City streets and storm drainsThe cityTown of Moraga Public WorksTown of Moraga · Dec 10, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityTown of Moraga Parks and RecreationTown of Moraga · Dec 10, 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 | ClearlakeCA | MoragaCA | El SegundoCA | Laguna WoodsCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 16,642 | 16,662 | 16,950 | 16,970 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $225,831 | $314,572 | $280,800 | $247,935 |
| Council member pay | $6,000 | Not confirmed | $10,800 | $3,600 |
| General fund per resident | $606 | $826 | $6,394 | $566 |
| Debt per resident | $792 | $244 | $7,728 | $0 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $558 | $608 | $1,958 | $-14 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 2.5 | 23.1 | 1.1 |
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). Moraga and Laguna Woods pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Moraga publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Audited financial report filed on timeThe FY2024-25 audit report is dated December 10, 2025, about five months after the June 30 year end. Town of Moraga · Dec 10, 2025
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2025-26 and FY2026-27 biennial budget, adopted June 25, 2025, is posted on the town's budgets page. Town of Moraga · Jun 25, 2025
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe town streams council meetings on YouTube and posts agendas and minutes in its online Agenda Center. Town of Moraga
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no council pay figure in the adopted budget, the council protocols or the council web page. Town of Moraga · Jun 25, 2025
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe town's salary schedule with pay ranges for each job is in the June 25, 2025 council packet. We found no town list of pay by employee. Town of Moraga · Jun 25, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- The town's 10-year forecast shows spending outpacing revenue by $0.52 million in FY2025-26 and by $3.33 million in FY2034-35 before any balancing steps. Which steps does the council plan to take?
- The town's CalPERS net pension liability was $10.1 million, and it holds $2.4 million in a pension trust. When and how will the town draw on the trust?
- The town manager's salary was set at $314,572 from July 1, 2025. Will the council publish his salary after each later raise?
The fiscal year starts July 1. Moraga adopts a two-year budget: a public study session in May (May 14, 2025) and a public hearing and adoption in June (June 25, 2025 for FY2025-26 and FY2026-27). See who is running for council
Help decide what comes next
What do you want to know about Moraga next?
One tap, no sign-in. We count answers; we never show who chose what.
Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
See something wrong? Report an error
Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.