How Salinas is run
Who runs Salinas, 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 Salinas's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Salinas
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The seven-member council, a mayor elected citywide plus six members elected by district, sets policy, adopts the budget and appoints the city manager and city attorney.
What they are paid
- Up to 12 months' base salary as severance if fired without cause, but not within 90 days after a council election
- City pays $14,624 a year into a 457 or 401(a) deferred compensation plan
- $750 a month car allowance, unless he takes a city vehicle
- $150,000 of city-paid life insurance, plus the medical, dental, vision and disability coverage department directors get
- CalPERS pension and 30 days of annual leave a year
- Contract runs until May 28, 2027
- The salary does not include retirement, health and other benefits the city pays, if the same benefits are offered to city employees
Salinas city staff
688 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 219, Fire 114. FY2026-27. Up from 660.5 in the FY2025-26 adopted budget. The count falls to 680.5 in FY2027-28 when a SAFER fire staffing grant ends. City of Salinas · Jun 16, 2026
The city posts a salary schedule with pay rates for every job class, including the mayor, council and city manager. We found no city list of individual employees' pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Salinas 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's five-year forecast shows general fund shortfalls of $1.8 million to $3.5 million a year through FY2029-30. In FY2030-31 the Measure G one-cent sales tax ends unless voters renew it, and the gap grows to $47.8 million. The council authorized asking voters to renew Measure G and remove its end date; the city attorney's plan lists the renewal for the November 2026 ballot. The FY2026-27 budget uses some fund balance to balance. City of Salinas · Jun 16, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $23.9M (2025-06-30). City of Salinas · Jan 27, 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 (including the Measure E and Measure G local taxes)$97.5M · 50%
- Property tax$43M · 22%
- Utility users tax$15.8M · 8%
- Franchise fees$10.4M · 5%
- Business license tax$7M · 4%
- Charges for services$6.9M · 3%
- Investment earnings$4.4M · 2%
- Other (transfers in, hotel tax, state and federal aid, permits, fines, misc.)$8.1M · 4%
- From savings (fund balance)$3.3M · 2%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$68.4M · 35%
- Fire$35.3M · 18%
- Transfers to other funds (debt service, insurance, fleet, storm sewer)$19.2M · 10%
- Public works$16.8M · 9%
- Library and community services$15.6M · 8%
- Non-departmental (911 dispatch, animal services, assistance programs, contingency)$14.8M · 8%
- Community development$9.3M · 5%
- Finance$8.7M · 4%
- Other (administration, human resources, city attorney, city council)$8.2M · 4%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
California caps the base property tax at 1% of assessed value; voter-approved school bond rates are added on top. The city levies no voter-approved rate of its own. Homes in other elementary districts pay their rates instead: Alisal Union 0.21926%, Santa Rita Union 0.10111% or Spreckels Union 0.03490%.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Salinas
- Base levy (Prop. 13 1% cap), split among the county, city, schools and other agenciesThe city's budget says Salinas gets about 14 cents of every property tax dollar.1 · 86%
- Salinas Union High School District (voter-approved bonds)0.07183 · 6%
- Salinas City Elementary School District (voter-approved bonds)0.05244 · 5%
- Hartnell Community College District (voter-approved bonds)0.03418 · 3%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.15845
FY2024-25 rates for a home in Salinas in the Salinas City Elementary and Salinas Union High districts (Monterey County). City of Salinas · Jan 27, 2026
See what a Salinas home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Salinas is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySalinas Police DepartmentCity of Salinas · Jan 27, 2026
- Fire and paramedic responseThe citySalinas Fire DepartmentCity of Salinas · Jun 16, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe countyCounty of MontereyCity of Salinas · Jun 16, 2026
- WaterPrivate companyCalifornia Water Service and Alco Water Service (private companies)Cal Water serves about 126,620 people in SalinasCity of Salinas
- Sewer collectionThe cityCity of Salinas Sanitary Sewer FundCity of Salinas · Jan 27, 2026
- Trash and recycling collectionContractorRepublic Services of Salinas (city-contracted hauler)City of Salinas
- Wastewater treatmentAnother agencyMonterey County Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (regional plant in Marina)City of Salinas
- Landfill and waste disposalAnother agencySalinas Valley Solid Waste Authority (joint powers authority)City of Salinas · Jan 27, 2026
- Streets and parksThe cityCity of Salinas Public WorksCity of Salinas · Jan 27, 2026
- LibraryThe citySalinas Public Library (city Library and Community Services Department)City of Salinas · Jan 27, 2026
- Animal servicesAnother agencyHitchcock Road Animal Services Agency (joint powers agency led by Monterey County)City of Salinas · Jun 16, 2026
- AirportThe citySalinas Municipal Airport (city-run)City of Salinas · Jan 27, 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 | CoronaCA | SalinasCA | HaywardCA | SunnyvaleCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 159,309 | 159,866 | 161,557 | 161,884 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not current (2023) | $315,000 | $393,000 | $414,040 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $30,600 | $42,456 | $38,144 |
| General fund per resident | $1,513 | $1,228 | $1,542 | $1,872 |
| Debt per resident | $1,672 | $805 | $486 | $2,514 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $392 | $1,444 | $3,559 | $2,587 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.9 | 4.3 | 5.9 | 5.9 |
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 Salinas 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 Salinas
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe 2024 employment agreement and the December 2025 pay amendment are posted online with the council's agenda items. City of Salinas · Mar 19, 2024
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes and resolutions list each member's vote by name, e.g. the June 16, 2026 budget vote and the 5-1 council pay vote. City of Salinas · Jan 23, 2024
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe 2024 ordinance sets $2,550 a month for the mayor and each council member. City of Salinas · Jan 23, 2024
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe city posts a salary schedule with pay rates by job title. We found no list of individual employees' pay on the city's salary schedule page. City of Salinas · Jul 6, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Sales tax, including the Measure E and Measure G local taxes, is budgeted at $97.6 million in FY2026-27. Measure G ends in FY2030-31 unless voters renew it. Which services would change if it is not renewed?
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget uses $3.3 million of fund balance. What ongoing changes would end that draw?
- Net pension liability was $230.8 million on June 30, 2025. What is the city's plan to pay it down, and how will its pension trust be used?
- The city manager's contract, now $315,000 a year, runs until May 28, 2027. When will the council decide whether to renew it?
The fiscal year starts July 1. Residents give budget input from December to February. The city manager presents the proposed budget in May; the council held a budget study session May 26, 2026 and adopted the two-year FY2026-27 and FY2027-28 budget at a public hearing June 16, 2026. See who is running for council
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