How Rohnert Park is run
Who runs Rohnert Park, 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 Rohnert Park's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Rohnert Park
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
- May enroll in city health insurance, deferred compensation, CalPERS and retiree health savings accounts
- May use the city Sports Center
Rohnert Park city staff
242 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public Safety (police and fire) 107, Public Works 67. FY2026-27. Authorized positions in the FY2026-27 adopted budget, down from 246 in FY2025-26. City of Rohnert Park · Jun 9, 2026
The city posts pay rates and ranges for every job class. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Rohnert Park 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 city calls the FY2026-27 general fund budget balanced at $57.8M. It assumes a soft economy with flat revenue. The city manager put in place a hiring freeze and a reduction of workforce. The city says it recently completed a five-year financial forecast model. City of Rohnert Park · Jun 9, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
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. The city's own target: The city assigns its general fund balance to named reserves, so unassigned balance is $0. Policy: an operating reserve of 17% and a contingency reserve of 5% of the adopted general fund budget. At June 30, 2025 these held $10.5M and $3.1M. City of Rohnert Park · Nov 26, 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$15.7M · 27%
- Property tax$13.8M · 24%
- Transfers in from other funds$7M · 12%
- Hotel tax (transient occupancy)$4.2M · 7%
- Franchise fees$3.5M · 6%
- Cost allocation charges to other funds$2.2M · 4%
- Interest and rents$2.1M · 4%
- Other (permits, recreation fees, charges for services, donations, other)$9.4M · 16%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public Safety (police and fire)$26.7M · 46%
- Development Services$9.2M · 16%
- Community Services$8.3M · 14%
- Public Works$6.8M · 12%
- Administration$3.2M · 5%
- Finance$2.8M · 5%
- Other (human resources, economic development, communications, less non-departmental credits)$682,236 · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Prop. 13 fixes the base rate at 1%, shared among local agencies. Voter-approved bond rates are added on top. Homes in the Santa Rosa high school and Bellevue school districts pay those districts' rates instead.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Rohnert Park
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, city, schools and districts)1 · 88%
- Cotati-Rohnert Park school district bonds0.096 · 8%
- Santa Rosa Junior College bonds0.03 · 3%
- Warm Springs Dam0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.133
FY2024-25 rates for a home in Rohnert Park in the Cotati-Rohnert Park school district (Sonoma County). City of Rohnert Park · Nov 26, 2025
See what a Rohnert Park home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Rohnert Park is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- Police and fireThe cityRohnert Park Department of Public SafetyOfficers are trained as both police officers and firefighters.City of Rohnert Park · Nov 26, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of Rohnert ParkAbout 70% is bought from the Sonoma County Water Agency; the rest comes from city wells.City of Rohnert Park
- Sewer collectionThe cityCity of Rohnert ParkCity of Rohnert Park
- Trash, recycling and compostContractorRecologyCity of Rohnert Park
- StreetsThe cityCity of Rohnert Park Public WorksCity of Rohnert Park · Nov 26, 2025
- ParksThe cityCity of Rohnert Park Parks DivisionCity of Rohnert Park
- Animal shelterThe cityCity of Rohnert Park Animal ServicesCity of Rohnert Park · Nov 26, 2025
- SchoolsSeparate districtCotati-Rohnert Park Unified School DistrictCity of Rohnert Park · Jun 9, 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 | CampbellCA | Palm SpringsCA | Rohnert ParkCA | HollisterCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 43,195 | 43,893 | 44,191 | 44,233 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $358,883 | $325,000 | $335,466 | $265,000 |
| Council member pay | $15,300 | $41,604 | $15,300 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,713 | $4,004 | $1,309 | $1,279 |
| Debt per resident | $1,175 | $3,386 | $160 | $1,410 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,677 | $3,906 | $936 | $965 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 15.0 | 5.5 | 4.5 |
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). Campbell pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Rohnert Park publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Audited financial report filed on time City of Rohnert Park · Nov 26, 2025
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe pay schedule says the city manager's pay is set by employment contract. We did not find the contract on the city site. City of Rohnert Park · Aug 11, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineMeeting recordings, agendas and minutes are posted on Meeting Central, and meetings stream on the city's YouTube channel. City of Rohnert Park
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe council page and the pay schedule state council pay of $1,275 a month. City of Rohnert Park
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Rohnert Park · Aug 11, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund had $0 in unassigned balance on June 30, 2025, because the city assigns it to reserves, including $10.5M for operations and $3.1M for contingencies. What would trigger using them?
- In FY2024-25 the general fund spent $53.8 million and took in $50.6 million before transfers. How will the FY2026-27 budget of $57.8 million avoid another draw?
- The budget cites a CalPERS unfunded liability of $50.7 million and retirement costs of $8.45 million, up 19.86%. What is the plan to pay it down?
- Sales tax, the largest general fund source at $15.68 million, is expected to stay flat. How will Sonoma State University cuts be tracked?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council adopted the FY2026-27 budget and five-year capital plan on June 9, 2026. Council policy calls for a review of the city's finances after six months of each year. See who is running for council
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