How San Rafael is run
Who runs San Rafael, 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 San Rafael's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs San Rafael
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
- Nine months' base pay plus health coverage as severance if removed without cause
- $500 a month car allowance
- $400 a month wellness benefit
- City pays the full cost of family medical insurance
- City-paid term life insurance of $500,000
- City contributes the IRS maximum to a 457(b) deferred compensation plan
San Rafael city staff
418 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (regular positions) 93, Fire (regular positions) 90, Public Works (regular positions) 53, Community Services (regular positions) 46. FY2026-27. Budgeted full-time equivalent positions, up 4.40 from the final FY2025-26 budget. Includes 17 regular and 2 fixed-term positions that work for the San Rafael Sanitation District (SRSD). City of San Rafael · Jun 15, 2026
The city posts salary schedules for its employee groups, e.g. the SEIU Local 1021 schedule for 2024-2027. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is San Rafael 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
Unassigned general fund balance: $5.4M (2025-06-30). City of San Rafael · Nov 20, 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 tax and related$28.9M · 25%
- Sales tax$26.9M · 23%
- Measure E sales tax$15.2M · 13%
- Vehicle license fee backfill (state)$8.1M · 7%
- Measure R sales tax$5.1M · 4%
- Franchise tax$4.9M · 4%
- Charges for services$4.6M · 4%
- Other (hotel tax, permits, county fire service payments, business tax, interest, fines, other agencies, transfers in)$18.1M · 16%
- From one-time fund balance$4.1M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$32.5M · 28%
- Fire$28.8M · 25%
- Public Works$14.2M · 12%
- Library and Recreation$8.9M · 8%
- Community and Economic Development$7.2M · 6%
- Non-departmental$6.4M · 6%
- Transfers to other funds (capital, liability, grants, essential facilities)$4.6M · 4%
- Other (city manager, finance, digital service, city attorney, human resources, city clerk, council)$13.2M · 11%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each dollar of the 1% base levy, about 12 cents goes to the city. Homes in the Miller Creek, Ross, Ross Valley or Tamalpais school districts pay those districts' bond rates instead. Flat parcel taxes, such as the city's paramedic and library taxes, are billed separately and are not included.
10¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of San Rafael
- Other agencies' shares of the 1% levy (county, schools, special districts)0.87769 · 73%
- City of San Rafael (share of the 1% levy)0.12231 · 10%
- San Rafael elementary school bonds0.0934 · 8%
- San Rafael high school bonds0.0725 · 6%
- Marin Community College bonds0.0237 · 2%
- Marin Healthcare District bond0.0152 · 1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.2048
FY2024-25 rates for a home in San Rafael in the San Rafael City Schools area (Marin County). City of San Rafael · Nov 20, 2025
See what a San Rafael home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in San Rafael is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySan Rafael Police DepartmentCity of San Rafael · Nov 20, 2025
- FireThe citySan Rafael Fire DepartmentCity of San Rafael · Nov 20, 2025
- EMS / ambulanceThe citySan Rafael Fire Department (EMS/Paramedic Fund)Paid for mostly by a paramedic parcel tax and ambulance fees.City of San Rafael · Jun 15, 2026
- WaterSeparate districtMarin Water (Marin Municipal Water District)City of San Rafael · Aug 4, 2026
- Streets and storm drainsThe cityCity of San Rafael Public WorksCity of San Rafael · Nov 20, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of San Rafael Library and Recreation and Public WorksCity of San Rafael · Nov 20, 2025
- LibraryThe citySan Rafael Public Library (city-run, three locations)City of San Rafael · Nov 20, 2025
- Child careThe cityCity of San Rafael Child Care programCity of San Rafael · Jun 15, 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 | CupertinoCA | SanteeCA | San RafaelCA | BeaumontCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 59,765 | 59,812 | 59,890 | 59,896 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $336,810 | $298,700 | $354,065 | $332,800 |
| Council member pay | Not current (2017) | $24,519 | $18,192 | $19,200 |
| General fund per resident | $1,838 | $1,114 | $1,933 | $1,262 |
| Debt per resident | $199 | $78 | $714 | $2,368 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $709 | $909 | $1,414 | $429 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 3.5 | 2.8 | 7.0 | 4.7 |
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). Cupertino and Santee and Beaumont pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What San Rafael 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 San Rafael · Jun 15, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of San Rafael · Aug 17, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list each member's yes or no vote, e.g. the 5-0 vote adopting the FY2026-27 budget on June 15, 2026. City of San Rafael · Jun 15, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's council meetings page lists agendas, packets, minutes and video for each meeting; meetings stream live on YouTube. City of San Rafael
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance No. 2050 sets council pay at $1,516 a month and the mayor's at $2,357 a month. City of San Rafael · Aug 18, 2025
- Yes: Employee pay publishedSalary schedules for employee groups are posted on the city website, e.g. the SEIU Local 1021 schedule for 2024-2027. City of San Rafael
Questions to ask your council
- The MCERA pension plan was $84.7 million short of full funding, 88.6% funded, on June 30, 2025. How does the city plan to close that gap as contribution rates change?
- In FY2024-25 the general fund took in $5.8 million more than it spent, but after $10.3 million of transfers out its balance fell $2.5 million. Which transfers were one-time?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city presents a mid-year budget update in early spring (March 2, 2026), a preliminary proposed budget in May (May 18, 2026) and the final budget in June. The FY2026-27 budget was adopted 5-0 on June 15, 2026. See who is running for council
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