How Rialto is run
Who runs Rialto, 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 Rialto's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Rialto
A city manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day. The five-member council, including the directly elected mayor, sets policy and adopts the budget each June. The city clerk and city treasurer are also elected. The city runs its own police and fire departments, and the fire department runs ambulances.
What they are paid
- City pays $960 a month into her 401(a) retirement plan (First Amendment, August 2025)
- Other benefits match those of the city's executive management employees, except where the contract says otherwise
- Trainings, meetings and conferences: $386,000 budgeted for the council in FY2026-27
- Other fringe benefits: $123,057 budgeted for the council in FY2026-27
- Council expenditures line: $50,000 budgeted in FY2026-27
Rialto city staff
526 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 223, Fire 110, Public works 67. FY2026-27. Authorized full-time positions, up 24 from FY2025-26. City of Rialto · Jun 23, 2026
The city posts its classification and compensation plan with pay ranges by job. We did not pull individual pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Rialto 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: $72.3M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: The budget's guiding principles target a general fund reserve of 30%. Separately, the council has committed $36.3 million of the general fund for economic uncertainty. City of Rialto · Mar 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 tax$68.7M · 39%
- Property tax (incl. vehicle license fee in-lieu)$47.5M · 27%
- Utility users tax$15.9M · 9%
- Charges for services (incl. ambulance)$9.9M · 6%
- Investment income and rents$9.2M · 5%
- Other taxes and franchise fees$8.1M · 5%
- Revenue from other agencies (incl. county landfill payments)$7.4M · 4%
- Other (licenses and permits, utility contract payments, fines, transfers in, misc.)$9.3M · 5%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$59.4M · 34%
- Non-departmental (incl. $18.3M CalPERS unfunded liability payment and liability insurance)$37.1M · 21%
- Fire and ambulance$23M · 13%
- Public works$12.5M · 7%
- Community development$11.1M · 6%
- Parks and recreation$9.2M · 5%
- Other (city manager, council, clerk, treasurer, finance, HR, IT, and $3.9M transfer for police station debt)$21M · 12%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Rialto is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityRialto Police DepartmentCity of Rialto
- 911 dispatchThe cityRialto Police Department Communications CenterCity of Rialto
- FireThe cityRialto Fire DepartmentCity of Rialto
- EMS and ambulanceThe cityRialto Fire DepartmentCity of Rialto
- StreetsThe cityCity of Rialto Public Works, Street Maintenance and Traffic SafetyCity of Rialto
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Rialto Parks, Recreation and Community ServicesCity of Rialto
- Animal controlThe cityRialto Police DepartmentCity of Rialto
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 | InglewoodCA | BurbankCA | RialtoCA | VenturaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 105,986 | 106,229 | 106,809 | 108,061 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $359,195 | $321,173 |
| Council member pay | $60,660 | $25,137 | $25,357 | $7,200 |
| General fund per resident | $2,635 | $2,656 | $1,623 | $1,423 |
| Debt per resident | $2,513 | $2,197 | $1,930 | $1,667 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $2,165 | $3,450 | $1,660 | $2,328 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 7.1 | 14.8 | 4.9 | 6.6 |
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). Inglewood pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Rialto 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 Rialto
- No: Council votes recorded member by member onlineThe council meetings page links agendas and minutes, but we found no council minutes or roll-call votes for 2025-26 meetings in Legistar. City of Rialto
- Partly: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Rialto
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance No. 1704 states monthly pay for the mayor, council, clerk and treasurer. City of Rialto
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe city posts its Classification and Compensation Plan, effective July 1, 2026, with pay ranges by job. City of Rialto
Questions to ask your council
- In FY2024-25 the general fund moved $35.1 million to other funds, including $25 million to the wastewater fund. Will the general fund keep supporting the water and wastewater funds?
- The general fund had $72.3 million unassigned on June 30, 2025, and the budget targets a 30% reserve. How does the city measure that target, and what is the extra money for?
- Sales tax, budgeted at $68.7 million, is the largest general fund revenue in FY2026-27. How would the budget handle a drop in sales tax?
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