How Murrieta is run
Who runs Murrieta, 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 Murrieta's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Murrieta
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
- 12 months' base salary as severance if fired without cause, limited by state law to the time left on the contract
- $600 a month car allowance
- City pays 100% of medical and dental premiums for him and his dependents
- City puts the yearly 457(b) maximum into his 401(a) retirement account
- CalPERS pension at 2% at 62; the city pays the employer share and he pays the 8% employee share
- Contract runs to Jan. 11, 2028
Murrieta city staff
479 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (including 43 dispatchers) 186, Fire & Rescue 85, Library 23. FY2026-27. City of Murrieta · Sep 30, 2026
The city posts a pay schedule for every job title as a council resolution and links to the State Controller's pay database. We did not pull pay bands. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Murrieta 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: $64.6M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Council Policy No. 100-11 requires an operating reserve of 25%, which the city holds as committed fund balance, not in the unassigned balance. At June 30, 2025 the combined operating reserve was $31.0 million, about 29% of operating spending. The city also committed $8.4 million to an economic contingency reserve and $9.0 million to pension and retiree health reserves. City of Murrieta · Dec 15, 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
- Sales tax (not counting the Measure T one-cent tax, which has its own fund)$27.1M · 34%
- Property tax$13.3M · 17%
- Property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$11.9M · 15%
- Other miscellaneous revenue, including interest$10.2M · 13%
- Franchise fees$5.5M · 7%
- Charges for services$5.2M · 7%
- Hotel tax$2.7M · 3%
- Other (permits, business license tax, property transfer tax, use of fund balance)$4.3M · 5%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$47M · 58%
- Public works and engineering$7.8M · 10%
- Development services (planning, building, code enforcement)$7.3M · 9%
- Finance$3.4M · 4%
- City manager's office$3.3M · 4%
- Administrative services$2.6M · 3%
- Non-departmental$2.3M · 3%
- Other (city clerk, transfers out, economic development, community services, city attorney, fire administration, council)$6.7M · 8%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Murrieta is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- 911 dispatchThe cityMurrieta Police Department Communications CenterIt also dispatches for the Menifee Police Department.City of Murrieta · May 8, 2025
- Animal control and shelterContractorAnimal Friends of the ValleyCity of Murrieta · May 8, 2025
- Water and sewerSeparate districtEastern Municipal Water District, Western Municipal Water District, Rancho California Water District or Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, depending on the areaCity of Murrieta Public Works & Engineering: Utility Information (revised June 2026) · Jun 1, 2026
- ElectricityPrivate companySouthern California EdisonCity of Murrieta Public Works & Engineering: Utility Information (revised June 2026) · Jun 1, 2026
- LibraryThe cityMurrieta Public Library (city)City of Murrieta · Dec 15, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Murrieta Public Works/EngineeringCity of Murrieta · May 8, 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 | DowneyCA | MurrietaCA | Santa MariaCA | TemeculaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 112,279 | 112,315 | 113,041 | 113,618 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $337,122 | $362,167 | $362,041 | $367,682 |
| Council member pay | No salary | $18,449 | $20,483 | $22,800 |
| General fund per resident | $1,087 | $716 | $952 | $1,147 |
| Debt per resident | $1,620 | $599 | $380 | $12 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,056 | $599 | $1,588 | $269 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.2 | 4.3 | 6.2 | 1.8 |
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). Temecula pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Murrieta publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe city's budget page links the FY2025-26 and FY2026-27 adopted operating budget (an online ClearGov book), quarterly reports and past budgets. City of Murrieta
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe city manager's employment agreement is attached to Resolution No. 24-4795 in the council's online agenda records. City of Murrieta · Nov 19, 2024
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Murrieta
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance No. 611-24 sets the council stipend at $1,537.38 a month from Jan. 1, 2025. City of Murrieta · Oct 15, 2024
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe council adopts a pay schedule listing hourly, monthly and yearly pay ranges for every job title, including the city manager. City of Murrieta · Oct 6, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Police make up $47.0 million of the $80.4 million FY2026-27 general fund budget. How will the council pay for new police and fire labor agreements approved in June and July 2026?
- CalPERS reports $67.3 million unfunded across the city's and fire district's pension plans at June 30, 2025. How will the $9.0 million committed to pension and retiree health reserves be used?
- The city says sales tax has been about flat for four years. What is the plan if FY2026-27 general fund sales tax falls short of the $27.1 million budgeted?
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