How Pinole is run
Who runs Pinole, 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 Pinole's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Pinole
A city manager appointed by the council carries out council policy, oversees the city's day-to-day operations and appoints department directors. The five council members, elected citywide to four-year terms, pass ordinances and adopt the budget. Each year the council picks one of its members to serve as mayor.
What they are paid
- Three-year term through June 30, 2029; no severance if the term ends without renewal
- Six months' base salary, allowances and health premiums as severance if fired without cause
- $600 a month car allowance and $65 a month cell phone allowance
- CalPERS pension (2% at 62) and city retiree medical under the CalPERS vesting schedule
- City match of up to $100 a month to a 457 deferred compensation plan
- 144 hours of vacation a year, plus 96 hours of administrative leave each calendar year
- Health, dental, vision and life insurance on the same terms as management employees
- May join the city's deferred compensation plan
- Not eligible for a CalPERS pension or city retiree health insurance
Pinole city staff
116 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (incl. dispatch for Pinole, Hercules and San Pablo) 45, Public works and wastewater plant 31. FY2026-27. Budgeted positions for FY2026-27, down from 117.64 in FY2025-26. Three police positions are frozen to balance the budget. City of Pinole · Jun 23, 2026
The city posts its pay plans and union agreements with pay ranges, and the city manager's and city clerk's contracts. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Pinole 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 against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $5.6M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep a separate General Reserve equal to 25% of ongoing general fund operating spending (three months). The audit reports it as committed, not unassigned: $9.9 million on June 30, 2025. The FY2026-27 budget projects $8.1 million (27%) on June 30, 2027. City of Pinole · Dec 19, 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
- Sales tax (incl. Measure S and Measure I local add-ons)$12.7M · 42%
- Property taxes$6.8M · 23%
- Utility users tax$2.7M · 9%
- Intergovernmental (mostly vehicle license fee)$2.6M · 9%
- Public safety charges (dispatch for Hercules and San Pablo)$2M · 7%
- Transfer in from the Section 115 pension trust$868,600 · 3%
- Franchise taxes$832,000 · 3%
- Other (business license and hotel taxes, permits, fees, grants, interest)$1.5M · 5%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police (incl. regional dispatch center)$12.2M · 41%
- Fire (Contra Costa County Fire contract and city costs)$6.3M · 21%
- Non-departmental (pension bonds, transfers, citywide costs)$4.8M · 16%
- Administration (council, manager, clerk, treasurer, attorney, finance, HR)$3.8M · 13%
- Public works$1.9M · 6%
- Other (community development, community services)$875,994 · 3%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Every property pays the 1% base levy, which the county collects and shares; the city's budget says Pinole receives about 19% of it. Voter-approved add-ons for schools, BART, the community college and regional parks bring the total to about 1.28%.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Pinole
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, city, schools and others)The city receives about 19% of it1 · 78%
- West Contra Costa Unified School District0.2489 · 19%
- BART0.0148 · 1%
- Community college0.0142 · 1%
- East Bay Regional Park District0.0013 · <1%
- Total (percent of assessed value)1.2792
FY2024-25 rates for a home in the city of Pinole (Contra Costa County). City of Pinole · Dec 19, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Pinole is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityPinole Police DepartmentCity of Pinole · Dec 19, 2025
- Fire and EMSSeparate districtContra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire)Under contract since March 1, 2023; runs Stations 73 and 74City of Pinole · Dec 19, 2025
- SewerThe cityCity of Pinole Wastewater Treatment Plant (shared with Hercules)City of Pinole · Dec 19, 2025
- Trash and recyclingContractorRepublic Services (Richmond Sanitary Service)Exclusive city franchiseCity of Pinole
- WaterSeparate districtEast Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD)City of Pinole
- LibraryThe countyContra Costa County Library (Pinole branch)City of Pinole · Jun 23, 2026
- Animal controlThe countyContra Costa County Animal ServicesCity of Pinole
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Pinole Community Services and Public WorksCity of Pinole · Dec 19, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Pinole Public WorksCity of Pinole · Dec 19, 2025
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 | PinoleCA | Hermosa BeachCA | Santa Fe SpringsCA | South El MonteCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 18,891 | 19,196 | 19,229 | 19,489 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $305,000 | $270,000 | $359,100 | $268,800 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $10,176 | $12,233 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,585 | $3,120 | $5,933 | $1,439 |
| Debt per resident | $1,545 | $336 | $2,186 | $518 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,369 | $3,191 | $7,940 | $35 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 6.1 | 7.7 | 12.5 | 5.2 |
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). Pinole and Hermosa Beach and Santa Fe Springs and South El Monte pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Pinole publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Pinole
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineNaomi Kelly's employment agreement is posted on the city's Employment Agreements page, with other contracts and labor agreements. City of Pinole
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Pinole · Jun 23, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineAgendas, packets and minutes are posted in the city's CivicClerk portal; Pinole Community Television broadcasts and live streams public meetings. City of Pinole · Jun 23, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget lists $43,050 for council salaries in total, and a benefits plan covers elected officials. We found no stated pay per member. City of Pinole · Jun 23, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe city posts its pay plans and union agreements. We found no city list of pay by employee. City of Pinole
Questions to ask your council
- The General Reserve held $9.9 million on June 30, 2025, and the budget projects $8.1 million (27%) by June 30, 2027. How will the council keep it at or above its 25% target?
- The new city manager's base salary is $305,000 in a budget that freezes three police positions. How will the council measure her results at the six- and twelve-month reviews?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The revised proposed budget went to the council on June 16, 2026, and the council adopted the FY2026-27 budget on June 23, 2026 by a 4-0 vote, with one member absent. Quarterly budget reviews follow during the year. See who is running for council
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