How Orange is run
Who runs Orange, 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 Orange's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Orange
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
- Nine months' salary and health benefits as severance if fired before the contract ends, unless fired for cause
- City deferred compensation contribution at the IRS maximum, $23,500 in 2025
- City vehicle for work and personal use; he pays for fuel
- 220 hours of vacation a year
- Executive management benefits under the city's management resolution
- City pays single-person medical, dental and vision premiums
- Defined contribution retirement plan: the city and the member each put in 3.75% of pay
Orange city staff
709 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 238, Fire 160. FY2026-27. City of Orange · Jun 9, 2026
The city posts a council-adopted citywide pay schedule with monthly pay ranges for every job title. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Orange 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
Unassigned general fund balance: $0 (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. City of Orange · Jan 26, 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 tax$61.7M · 36%
- Sales tax$51.6M · 30%
- One-time transfers from other city funds$15M · 9%
- Fees for services$8M · 5%
- Licenses and permits$7.8M · 5%
- Hotel tax (TOT)$6.2M · 4%
- Charges to other city funds$4.8M · 3%
- Other (miscellaneous, use of property, franchises, fines, other agencies)$15.6M · 9%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Salaries and benefits$109M · 64%
- Debt service$17.9M · 11%
- Repair and maintenance$10M · 6%
- Transfer to employee accrued liability fund$9.6M · 6%
- Contract services$7.5M · 4%
- Materials and supplies$4.7M · 3%
- Internal service costs$3.7M · 2%
- Other (miscellaneous, utilities, capital outlay)$7.6M · 4%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of the bill is the 1% base levy, which state law splits among the county, the city, schools and special districts. The rest pays voter-approved college, school and water district debt. Parts of the city lie in other school districts with different rates.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Orange
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, the city, schools and special districts)1 · 94%
- Rancho Santiago Community College District bonds0.02746 · 3%
- Orange Unified School District bonds0.02485 · 2%
- Metropolitan Water District0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.05931
FY2025-26 rates for a home in the city of Orange (tax rate area 08-001, Orange Unified). County of Orange Auditor-Controller · Sep 1, 2025
See what a Orange house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Orange is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityOrange Police DepartmentCity of Orange · Jan 26, 2026
- FireThe cityOrange Fire DepartmentCity of Orange · Jan 26, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Orange Water FundCity of Orange · Jan 26, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Orange Sanitation (Sewer) FundWastewater collection pipesCity of Orange · Jun 9, 2026
- LibraryThe cityOrange Public LibraryCity of Orange · Jan 26, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Orange Community ServicesCity of Orange · Jan 26, 2026
- Streets and street lightsThe cityCity of Orange Public WorksCity of Orange · Jan 26, 2026
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 | Santa ClaraCA | VictorvilleCA | FullertonCA | OrangeCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 138,011 | 139,680 | 140,224 | 141,063 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $439,383 | $385,607 | $305,000 | $326,400 |
| Council member pay | $25,200 | $22,800 | Not confirmed | Not current (2022) |
| General fund per resident | $2,672 | $870 | $1,050 | $1,202 |
| Debt per resident | $3,584 | $2,290 | $130 | $1,970 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $4,595 | $645 | $2,083 | $481 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 8.9 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 5.0 |
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).
What Orange 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 onlineJarad Hildenbrand's 2025 employment agreement is attached to Legistar item 25-0313. City of Orange · Jun 24, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote by name, e.g. the 6-1 vote adopting the FY2026-27 budget on June 9, 2026. City of Orange · Jun 9, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance No. 10-21 sets council pay at $600 a month; the citywide pay schedule lists the same rate for council and mayor. City of Orange · Jul 27, 2021
- Yes: Employee pay publishedA council-adopted citywide pay schedule lists monthly pay ranges by job, e.g. Accountant $6,339 to $8,129 a month. City of Orange · Dec 9, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- The city owes $246.3 million on 2021 pension obligation bonds, and its CalPERS plans were $67.9 million short in 2024. How will future pension costs be paid?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council held budget study sessions in March, April and May 2026, affirmed the preliminary budget on May 26, and adopted the FY2026-27 budget on June 9, 2026 by a 6-1 vote. See who is running for council
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