How Napa is run
Who runs Napa, 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 Napa's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Napa
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
- Other benefits follow the city's Executive Compensation and Terms of Employment Summary
Napa city staff
532 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 131, Public works 85, Fire 78, Utilities (water) 78. FY2026-27. City of Napa · Jun 2, 2026
The city posts salary tables with pay ranges for every job, including the city manager and department heads. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Napa 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 plan shows a $503,593 operating surplus before $247,048 of reserve contributions. The city's December 2025 long-term forecast calls itself a positive reflection of efforts to manage a former structural deficit, and it includes continued use of one-time revenues through FY31. City of Napa · Jan 20, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $23.9M (2025-06-30). City of Napa · 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$55.4M · 33%
- Transient occupancy (hotel) tax$31.8M · 19%
- Measure G sales tax$24.5M · 14%
- Sales tax (base 1%)$23.4M · 14%
- Transfers in$11.7M · 7%
- Charges for services$7.8M · 5%
- Business license tax$5.2M · 3%
- Other (permits, other taxes, interest, grants, misc.)$9.8M · 6%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$44.2M · 26%
- General government (includes CIP reserve contributions)$37.6M · 22%
- Fire$30.3M · 18%
- Public works$18.5M · 11%
- Parks and recreation$11.7M · 7%
- City manager's office$7.1M · 4%
- Community development$6.7M · 4%
- Other (finance, HR, council and clerk, city attorney)$12.9M · 8%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of the bill is the 1% base levy that Proposition 13 caps; the county splits it among the city, the county, schools and special districts. The rest pays voter-approved school bonds and a small city rate. Homes in the Lake Park and River Park maintenance districts pay extra.
1¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Napa
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, city, schools and districts)1 · 90%
- School and college bonds0.0945 · 9%
- City of Napa (voter-approved debt)0.015 · 1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.1095
FY2024-25 rates for a home in the city of Napa (Napa County). City of Napa · Dec 10, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Napa is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityNapa Police DepartmentCity of Napa · Dec 10, 2025
- FireThe cityNapa Fire DepartmentCity of Napa · Dec 10, 2025
- 911 dispatchThe cityCity of Napa (police department dispatch center)Funded partly by Measure G from FY2026-27City of Napa · Jun 2, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Napa Water UtilityCity of Napa · Dec 10, 2025
- SewerSeparate districtNapa Sanitation DistrictSan Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board: Napa Sanitation District permit staff summary, Feb. 2022 · Feb 9, 2022
- StreetsThe cityCity of Napa Public WorksCity of Napa · Dec 10, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Napa Parks and RecreationCity of Napa · 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 | PittsburgCA | Chino HillsCA | NapaCA | TustinCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 76,484 | 77,191 | 77,803 | 79,175 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $312,236 | Not confirmed | $303,779 | $354,286 |
| Council member pay | $6,000 | $13,297 | $17,220 | $22,800 |
| General fund per resident | $912 | $823 | $2,173 | $1,553 |
| Debt per resident | $1,330 | $122 | $477 | $480 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,081 | $228 | $2,803 | $930 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.1 | 2.1 | 6.8 | 4.3 |
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). Pittsburg and Chino Hills and Tustin pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Napa 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 onlineSteve Potter's amended and restated agreement is attached to Legistar item 025-2026, adopted January 20, 2026. City of Napa · Jan 20, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineLegistar minutes name each member voting, e.g. the 5-0 vote adopting the FY2026-27 budget amendments on June 2, 2026. City of Napa · Jun 2, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineMeetings stream live online and on cable Channel 28; Legistar lists past meetings with documents, minutes and videos. City of Napa · Jun 2, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance O2025-011 sets council pay at $1,435 a month and the mayor's at $2,870, rising after the November 2026 election. City of Napa · Aug 5, 2025
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe city posts salary tables for every job, e.g. City Manager $258,213.06 to $309,855.67 a year. City of Napa · Aug 4, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The city's long-term forecast includes continued use of one-time revenues through FY31. Which one-time sources does it count on, and what happens when they end?
- Measure G is budgeted to bring in $24.5 million in FY2026-27 and now also helps pay for emergency dispatch. How much of Measure G pays for ongoing costs rather than projects?
- Council pay rises from $1,435 to $1,900 a month, and the mayor's from $2,870 to $3,800, after the November 2026 election. How does that compare with similar cities?
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