How Palmdale is run
Who runs Palmdale, 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 Palmdale's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Palmdale
A city manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day and appoints department heads. The five-member council, elected by district, passes ordinances, adopts the budget and hires the city manager and city attorney. Palmdale contracts with Los Angeles County for law enforcement and animal control, and a separate county fire district provides fire service.
What they are paid
- 12 months' salary as severance if fired without cause
- An extra 180 days' pay in severance if fired within 180 days after a council election
- Two-year term to March 3, 2028; renews for one year unless the council gives notice
- $500 a month car allowance and up to $2,000 a year for technology
- CalPERS pension (2% at 62); the city puts the maximum allowed into his 457 deferred compensation plan
- City-paid medical, dental and vision coverage for him and his family, plus a $500,000 term life policy
- City-paid benefits: $223,000 budgeted for the council in FY2026-27
Palmdale city staff
328 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public Works 151, Economic and Community Development 49, Parks and Recreation 39, Public Safety (city staff) 37. FY2026-27. Budgeted full-time positions, up from 318 in FY2025-26. City of Palmdale · Jun 2, 2026
The adopted budget lists 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 Palmdale 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 plans $128.1M of revenue and transfers in against $127.2M of spending and transfers out. The city's five-year projection keeps revenue slightly ahead of spending through FY2030-31 ($142.6M vs. $141.7M). The budget also says costs are rising faster than revenue and that keeping reserves at the required level will be a significant challenge. City of Palmdale · Jun 2, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $84.3M (2025-06-30). City of Palmdale · Aug 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
- Sales and use tax$51.7M · 40%
- Property tax$34.5M · 27%
- Franchise fees (electricity, gas, trash, cable)$9.7M · 8%
- Transfers in from other city funds$8.5M · 7%
- Licenses and permits$5.5M · 4%
- Hotel tax (transient occupancy tax)$5.3M · 4%
- Other (use of city property, development fees, charges for services, fines, misc.)$12.8M · 10%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety (Sheriff's contract, animal control, code and parking enforcement)$35.9M · 28%
- Administration (council, manager, clerk, attorney, HR, finance, communications)$20.3M · 16%
- Citywide costs, debt payments and transfers (non-departmental)$16.6M · 13%
- Public works maintenance (streets, parks, landscaping, buildings)$14.9M · 12%
- Parks, recreation, events and culture$14.4M · 11%
- Planning, building, engineering and economic development$13.3M · 10%
- Risk management (liability insurance and claims)$7.2M · 6%
- Other (library, housing, community programs, environmental, capital projects, emergency management)$4.5M · 4%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Palmdale is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Palmdale Parks and RecreationCity of Palmdale · Aug 26, 2026
- LibraryThe cityPalmdale City Library (city-run)City of Palmdale · Jun 2, 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 | HaywardCA | SunnyvaleCA | RosevilleCA | PalmdaleCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 161,557 | 161,884 | 165,455 | 166,118 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $393,000 | $414,040 | $393,599 | $370,412 |
| Council member pay | $42,456 | $38,144 | $7,200 | $18,000 |
| General fund per resident | $1,542 | $1,872 | $1,559 | $766 |
| Debt per resident | $486 | $2,514 | $1,541 | $527 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $3,559 | $2,587 | $2,770 | $403 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.9 | 5.9 | 8.7 | 2.0 |
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 Palmdale publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Audited financial report filed on timeThe FY2024-25 audited report is dated Aug. 26, 2026, about 14 months after the June 30, 2025 year end. City of Palmdale · Aug 26, 2026
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 adopted budget book is posted on the city's Budget page, with adopted budgets back to FY2009-10. City of Palmdale
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe 2026 employment agreement and staff report are attached to the March 3, 2026 council agenda, item 8.1. City of Palmdale · Mar 3, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Palmdale · Mar 3, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's Granicus page posts agendas, minutes and video for council meetings. City of Palmdale
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe City Council Pay page lists $2,000 a month for the mayor and $1,500 a month for other members. City of Palmdale
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Palmdale · Jun 2, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The city manager's $370,412 contract runs to March 3, 2028. How will the council report the results of his yearly performance review?
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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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