How Paso Robles is run
Who runs Paso Robles, 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 Paso Robles's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Paso Robles
A city manager appointed by the council runs day-to-day operations and appoints department heads other than the city attorney. The five-member council, including a mayor elected citywide, sets policy, adopts ordinances and approves the budget. Voters also elect a city treasurer.
What they are paid
- Car allowance of $500 a month
- City pays $346.15 per pay period into his 457 deferred compensation account, adjusted yearly for inflation
- An extra 5% of base salary each year while he holds ICMA credentialed manager status
- 80 hours of administrative leave each year; unused hours are paid out at year end
- Severance of 12 months' base salary plus 6 to 12 months of COBRA health coverage if asked to resign or terminated (2026 amendment)
- CalPERS retirement and the same health and welfare benefits as the city's management group
- Auto allowance of $3,000 a year
- Medical, dental, vision and employee assistance program coverage, averaging $14,007 a year
Paso Robles city staff
314 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 89, Fire and emergency services 50. FY2026-27. Authorized positions, up from 312.44 in FY2025-26. City of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
The council adopts a master pay schedule with pay ranges for all positions. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Paso Robles 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 budget calls the general fund structurally balanced, with reserves projected at $16.3 million on June 30, 2028, at the council's 30% minimum. The city's five-year forecast shows spending above revenue each year, with reserves falling to 27% of revenue in FY2028-29 and 23% in FY2030-31. The Measure J-20 sales tax, which supports more than 50 police and fire positions, is set to end in 2032. City of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $16M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep unrestricted general fund reserves of at least 30% of the 10-year revenue trend. Reserves above that level can pay for one-time capital projects. The city meets this target. City of Paso Robles · Oct 27, 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$15.7M · 28%
- Sales tax$13.6M · 24%
- Hotel tax (transient occupancy tax)$10M · 18%
- Charges for services$3.7M · 7%
- Other taxes$3.7M · 6%
- Transfers in from other funds$2.7M · 5%
- Interest and rents$2.6M · 5%
- Other (permits, grants, fines, misc.)$2.2M · 4%
- Gap covered by expected savings and reserves$2.5M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$13.3M · 24%
- Public works$8.2M · 14%
- Fire and emergency services$8.1M · 14%
- Community services (parks, recreation, library)$7.7M · 14%
- Transfers to other funds (capital projects, IT, fleet, insurance)$7.3M · 13%
- Community development$5.4M · 10%
- City council and city manager's office$3.7M · 7%
- Administrative services$2.8M · 5%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of the bill is the 1% general levy, which the county splits among local agencies; the city gets about 17% of it. The rest is voter-approved debt: school and college bonds, the state water contract, and a city bond for the Niblick Bridge.
3¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Paso Robles
- 1% general levy (shared by the county, city, schools and special districts)1 · 90%
- Paso Robles Joint Unified School District bonds0.0581 · 5%
- City of Paso Robles bonds (Niblick Bridge, 1999)0.031 · 3%
- Cuesta Community College bonds0.015 · 1%
- State Water Project0.00321 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.10731
FY2025-26 rates for a home in the city of Paso Robles (San Luis Obispo County, tax rate area 002-000). County of San Luis Obispo Auditor-Controller: Property Tax Rates, Fiscal Year 2025-26 · Dec 10, 2025
See what a Paso Robles house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Paso Robles is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityPaso Robles Police DepartmentCity of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
- FireThe cityPaso Robles Emergency and Fire Services DepartmentCity of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Paso Robles Utilities DepartmentCity-owned wells, treatment plants and about 175 miles of pipeCity of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Paso RoblesCity of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorPaso Robles Waste & RecycleExclusive franchise hauler; the city oversees the contractCity of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
- LandfillContractorPacific Waste ServicesCity of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
- LibraryThe cityPaso Robles City LibraryCity of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Paso Robles Community Services DepartmentCity of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity of Paso Robles Public WorksCity of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
- AirportThe cityPaso Robles Municipal Airport (city-run)City of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 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 | La VerneCA | San PabloCA | Paso RoblesCA | SeasideCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 31,466 | 31,468 | 31,525 | 31,681 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $275,679 | $327,180 | $269,000 | $285,000 |
| Council member pay | $11,400 | $17,064 | $13,860 | $4,800 |
| General fund per resident | $1,557 | $1,919 | $1,793 | $1,720 |
| Debt per resident | $1,556 | $1,587 | $1,681 | $513 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $746 | $1,875 | $1,611 | $2,019 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 5.1 |
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 Paso Robles publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe two-year FY2026-27 and FY2027-28 budget, with the June 16, 2026 adopting resolution, is posted on the city's Financial Reports page. City of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineChris Huot's 2025 employment agreement and its 2026 amendment are posted in the city's Document Center. City of Paso Robles · Apr 15, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote by name, such as the 5-0 vote adopting the budget on June 16, 2026. City of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineCouncil meetings are live-streamed and posted on YouTube; agendas, minutes and staff reports are on the city's eScribe portal. City of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentA city sheet lists the mayor's and council members' yearly stipend, auto allowance and health benefits, effective March 2026. City of Paso Robles · Mar 1, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Paso Robles · Jun 16, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The five-year forecast shows general fund reserves falling from $16.3 million in FY2027-28 to 23% of revenue by FY2030-31, below the 30% policy. Which changes would keep reserves at the target?
- The Measure J-20 sales tax supports more than 50 police and fire positions and is set to end in 2032. Will the council ask voters to renew it early?
- The city's three CalPERS plans were $50.8 million short on June 30, 2025. When would the council use the $12.4 million Section 115 pension trust?
The fiscal year starts July 1, and the city adopts a two-year budget. For FY2026-27 and FY2027-28, the council held a visioning workshop on Nov. 21, 2025, reviewed the proposed general fund budget on May 5, 2026 and the utility and airport funds on May 19, held a budget overview on June 2 and adopted the budget on June 16, 2026. See who is running for council
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