How Shasta Lake is run
Who runs Shasta Lake, 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 Shasta Lake's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Shasta Lake
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
- Severance of 18 months' salary and benefits if fired without cause
- Car allowance of $550 a month
- Technology allowance of $1,200 a year
- May cash out up to three weeks of paid time off a year
- One council member is budgeted $15,104 for city medical coverage
Shasta Lake city staff
The city posts a pay rate schedule for every job title, and the budget lists salary and benefits for each position. The budget gives staffing by department but no citywide total. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Shasta Lake 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 two-year budget spends more than it brings in. General fund money available is projected to fall from $5.4 million on July 1, 2026 to $4.4 million by June 30, 2027 and $3.6 million by June 30, 2028. The city manager says reserves are expected to stay above 25%. City of Shasta Lake · Jun 2, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $5.9M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: A fund balance policy adopted in 2011 sets reserve requirements, but the audit does not state the target. The FY2026-27 budget says projected reserves are expected to stay above 25%. City of Shasta Lake · Jan 15, 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
- Charges to utilities and other funds for city administration$4.7M · 41%
- Property taxes (including former redevelopment share)$1.7M · 15%
- Motor vehicle in-lieu fees (state)$1.3M · 11%
- Sales tax$725,000 · 6%
- Special business taxes (cannabis retail, cultivation, manufacturing)$719,500 · 6%
- Cost recovery$493,650 · 4%
- Franchise tax$255,200 · 2%
- Other (licenses, permits, interest, rent, fines, misc.)$678,550 · 6%
- From savings (fund balance)$1M · 9%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Law enforcement (Shasta County Sheriff contract)$4.7M · 41%
- Customer services$1.5M · 13%
- Central services$1.2M · 11%
- Personnel and labor relations$1M · 9%
- City manager and city clerk$864,900 · 7%
- Development services (planning, code enforcement)$802,490 · 7%
- Parks$458,180 · 4%
- Animal control$418,100 · 4%
- Other (council, finance, building, public services, capital)$563,260 · 5%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Shasta Lake is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe countyShasta County Sheriff's Office (city contract)Funds one lieutenant, two sergeants, eight deputies and two community service officersCity of Shasta Lake · Jun 2, 2026
- Fire and emergency responseSeparate districtShasta Lake Fire Protection DistrictThree stations; about 1,500 calls a year, mostly medicalCity of Shasta Lake
- WaterThe cityCity of Shasta LakeCity of Shasta Lake · Jan 15, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Shasta LakeCity of Shasta Lake · Jan 15, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity of Shasta LakeCity of Shasta Lake · Jan 15, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Shasta LakeCity of Shasta Lake · Jan 15, 2026
- LibraryPrivate companyShasta Lake Gateway Library (volunteer-run nonprofit)City of Shasta Lake
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 | Shasta LakeCA | FarmersvilleCA | PlacervilleCA | ClaytonCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,195 | 10,338 | 10,428 | 10,759 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $255,981 | Not confirmed | $199,764 | $240,000 |
| Council member pay | $11,400 | Not confirmed | $4,236 | $5,640 |
| General fund per resident | $1,136 | $765 | $1,069 | $579 |
| Debt per resident | $2,672 | $1,489 | $3,595 | $90 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $271 | $155 | $2,373 | $637 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 4.6 | 7.5 | 2.6 |
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). Shasta Lake and Placerville pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Shasta Lake publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Shasta Lake · May 4, 2021
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineAgenda packets with minutes are in the city's online archive, and agendas say meeting videos are on the city website. City of Shasta Lake · Oct 6, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget's salary and benefit pages list each council seat at $11,400 a year. City of Shasta Lake · Jun 2, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe city posts a pay rate schedule by job title, approved June 16, 2026, and the budget lists salary and benefits by position. City of Shasta Lake · Jun 16, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The two-year budget draws general fund money available down from $5.4 million in July 2026 to $3.6 million by June 30, 2028. What is the plan for FY2028-29?
- Charges to the utilities and other funds for city administration bring in $4.7 million of the $10.6 million in general fund revenue for FY2026-27. How are those charges set and reviewed?
- The Sheriff's contract costs $4.7 million of the $11.6 million general fund budget in FY2026-27, under a year-to-year agreement. How are future cost increases set?
- The city still owed $7.68 million on its 2019 pension borrowing on June 30, 2025, while its CalPERS plan was 94.8% funded. How does the council weigh paying that debt against other needs?
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