How Newman is run
Who runs Newman, 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 Newman's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Newman
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
Newman city staff
91 full-time-equivalent positions, including Fire (35 are volunteer firefighters) 37, Police and animal control 15, Wastewater treatment plant 10, Water 10. FY2026-27. City of Newman · Jun 9, 2026
The 91 positions include 35 volunteer firefighters and the five council members. Monthly pay ranges are in salary schedules adopted by the council. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Newman 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 plans a general fund deficit of $1,044,560, leaving a projected balance of $2,363,272. Staff say budgeted deficits averaged $679,180 from FY2021 through FY2025, while the actual fund balance rose $157,132 over those years. The city is delaying some vehicle purchases and nonessential repairs until sales tax revenue recovers. City of Newman · Jun 9, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $3.9M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: No general fund reserve target found in the budget or audit. A separate contingency fund holds about $225,000 for emergencies or unplanned needs, spent only at the council's direction. City of Newman · Nov 26, 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$2.7M · 31%
- Charges for services, mostly trash collection fees$1.4M · 16%
- Other revenue, mostly administrative charges to other funds and reimbursements$1.1M · 13%
- Planned draw on general fund balance$1M · 12%
- Sales tax$680,000 · 8%
- Transfers in from other funds$575,499 · 7%
- Franchise fees$410,000 · 5%
- Other (permits, interest and rents, state money, fines, other taxes)$673,558 · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$3.5M · 40%
- Trash collection contract with Bertolotti$1.1M · 13%
- Fire$1.1M · 12%
- Street maintenance$527,829 · 6%
- Parks$353,630 · 4%
- Legal services, insurance and bank fees (government auxiliary)$351,856 · 4%
- Finance$285,230 · 3%
- Other (city hall, planning, clerk, recreation, city manager, council and more)$1.4M · 16%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Newman is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityNewman Police DepartmentCity of Newman · Nov 26, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of NewmanCity of Newman · Nov 26, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of NewmanCity of Newman · Nov 26, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of NewmanCity of Newman
- Animal controlThe cityNewman Police DepartmentCity of Newman · Jun 9, 2026
- Building inspectionThe cityCity of NewmanCity of Newman
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 | NewmanCA | San AnselmoCA | Grover BeachCA | San MarinoCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 12,362 | 12,474 | 12,502 | 12,513 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $228,012 | $295,992 | $273,780 | $289,596 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $3,600 | $8,640 | No salary |
| General fund per resident | $699 | $1,910 | $1,550 | $2,991 |
| Debt per resident | $726 | $733 | $3,108 | $0 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $564 | $149 | $1,284 | $3,479 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | — | 5.6 | 10.3 |
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). San Anselmo and Grover Beach pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Newman 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 is posted on the Finance e-docs page, with budgets back to FY2011-12. City of Newman
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes, posted inside later agenda packets, list ayes, noes and absences by name. City of Newman · Jul 14, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Newman
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of Newman · Jun 9, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay publishedSalary schedules with monthly pay ranges are adopted by resolution and posted in council agenda packets. City of Newman · Jun 23, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget plans $8,636,577 of spending against $7,592,017 of revenue and transfers. Which parts of the $1,044,560 gap does the city expect to close during the year?
- The general fund had $3,864,951 unassigned at June 30, 2025, and we found no reserve target. What target will the council set?
- CalPERS reports $6,972,002 of unfunded pension liability for the city at June 30, 2025. What is the plan to pay it down?
- Police cost $3,490,923 of the $8,636,577 general fund budget in FY2026-27. How will that grow as sales tax revenue lags?
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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?
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