How Novato is run
Who runs Novato, 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 Novato's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Novato
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
- Severance of up to nine months' base salary if fired without cause
- $500 a month car allowance
- City matches her deferred compensation dollar for dollar, up to half the yearly IRS limit
- CalPERS pension and health coverage on the same terms as management staff
- Contract runs through May 14, 2027, and renews for two-year terms unless either side gives notice
- Medical, dental and vision coverage
- $100,000 life insurance policy
Novato city staff
203 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 78, Public Works 47. FY2026-27. Adopted FY2026-27 full-time equivalent positions, down from 203.5 in the amended FY2025-26 budget. City of Novato · Jul 1, 2026
The city posts a council-approved salary schedule with the pay range for every job title, including the city manager's contract salary. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Novato 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 is the second balanced general fund budget in a row. The city says Measure M, a local sales tax voters approved in November 2024, puts it in a better position to address an ongoing $4 million structural deficit, and it projects balanced budgets over the next five years. Without transfers in, budgeted revenue of $50.8 million is $9.3 million below $60.1 million of spending. City of Novato · Jul 1, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $-94,119 (2025-06-30). That means every dollar the general fund has saved is set aside in a named reserve or category, not that it has no savings. The city's own target: The general fund keeps no unassigned reserve. Its main reserve is a separate emergency reserve fund, kept at 15% of yearly general fund spending (not counting transfers out). That fund held $18.7 million on June 30, 2025, reported as assigned general fund balance. City of Novato · Jan 20, 2026
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$20.8M · 33%
- Sales tax$16.2M · 26%
- Transfers from other funds (mostly Measure M sales tax)$11.8M · 19%
- Charges for services, licenses and permits$6.5M · 10%
- Other taxes$2M · 3%
- Hotel tax$2M · 3%
- Business licenses$1.2M · 2%
- Other (interest and rent, grants, fines, intergovernmental)$2.1M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$24.3M · 39%
- Public works$11M · 18%
- Central administration$10.8M · 17%
- Community development$5.7M · 9%
- Parks, recreation and community services$4.9M · 8%
- Finance$4.7M · 8%
- Other (non-departmental)$1.2M · 2%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
California caps the base property tax at 1% of assessed value; voter-approved bond rates are added on top. The city's audited report does not show how much of the 1% goes to the city. The city's own bond rate was zero in FY2024-25. Not all rates apply to every property.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Novato
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, the city, schools and special districts)1 · 88%
- Novato Unified School District (bonds)0.1017 · 9%
- Marin Community College District (bonds)0.0237 · 2%
- Marin Healthcare District (Measure F bonds)0.0152 · 1%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)1.1406
FY2024-25 rates for property in Novato (Marin County). City of Novato · Jan 20, 2026
See what a Novato home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Novato is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityNovato Police DepartmentCity of Novato
- FireSeparate districtNovato Fire Protection DistrictCity of Novato
- 911 calls and police dispatchThe cityNovato Police Department communications centerCity of Novato
- WaterSeparate districtNorth Marin Water DistrictCity of Novato
- SewerSeparate districtNovato Sanitary DistrictCity of Novato
- Trash and recyclingSeparate districtNovato Sanitary DistrictCity of Novato
- LibraryThe countyMarin County Free LibraryCity of Novato
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Novato Parks, Recreation and Community ServicesCity of Novato
- StreetsThe cityCity of Novato Public WorksCity of Novato
- Animal controlContractorMarin Humane Society (by contract)City of Novato
- Public transitSeparate districtGolden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District and Marin TransitCity of Novato
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 | GlendoraCA | RosemeadCA | Cathedral CityCA | NovatoCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 51,232 | 51,295 | 51,458 | 51,638 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $323,574 | $287,004 | $280,000 | $316,762 |
| Council member pay | $19,200 | $19,200 | $17,964 | $4,800 |
| General fund per resident | $893 | $675 | $1,517 | $1,212 |
| Debt per resident | $1,187 | $0 | $1,370 | $349 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $243 | $204 | $255 | $1,283 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.2 | 1.3 | 4.5 | 3.9 |
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). Glendora and Rosemead and Novato pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Novato publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe budget page posts the adopted FY2026/27 budget and a budget in brief, with past budgets back to FY2011/12. City of Novato
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe 2024 employment agreement and the December 2025 amendment are attached to council agenda items. City of Novato
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Novato
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance 1733 sets council pay at $1,552 a month after the November 2026 election; the council page states the current $400. City of Novato
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Novato · Jul 14, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Without transfers, the FY2026-27 general fund budget plans $50.8 million of revenue against $60.1 million of spending, and $11.8 million of transfers in, mostly from Measure M, close the gap. What would the city cut if Measure M brings in less than expected?
- The city's net pension liability was $66.3 million on June 30, 2025, and the yearly CalPERS unfunded liability payment rises to $6.9 million in FY2026-27, up 11.1%. What is the plan to bring these costs down?
- The city's emergency reserve fund held $18.7 million on June 30, 2025, above the 15% the reserve policy requires. How will the council decide when to spend the amount above that level?
- Police costs $24.3 million of the $62.6 million FY2026-27 general fund budget. How does the council measure what that spending delivers?
The fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30. Budget work starts in February with a draft budget calendar, followed by a community survey and workshop in March, council study sessions in April, a budget workshop in May, a hearing on June 9 and adoption on June 23 (FY2026-27 budget adopted June 23, 2026). See who is running for council
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