How Stockton is run
Who runs Stockton, 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 Stockton's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Stockton
A city manager hired by the council carries out council policy, appoints department heads and oversees city operations. The seven-member council, a mayor elected citywide and six members elected by district, makes policy and adopts the budget.
What they are paid
- City pays 18% of base salary into a 401(a) deferred compensation plan
- City pays 100% of medical, dental and vision insurance
- 12 months' base salary as severance if fired without cause on or after Nov. 20, 2026
- 120 hours of executive management leave a year; may sell back up to 160 hours of vacation a year
Stockton city staff
1,807 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (general fund) 631, Municipal utilities 242, Fire (general fund) 219. FY2026-27. Budgeted positions in all funds for FY2026-27, up 22 from FY2025-26. The general fund has 1,186. City of Stockton · Jun 9, 2026
The city posts salary schedules with the pay range of every job title, and the city manager's contract is attached to council agendas. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Stockton 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 uses a 20-year Long-Range Financial Plan. The budget says the general fund was projected to end FY2025-26 with a $3.8M shortfall covered by reserves, and the working capital reserve at 15.47% of spending, below the 16.67% minimum. The FY2026-27 budget does not include raises from ongoing labor talks. City of Stockton · Jun 9, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $51.3M (2024-06-30). The city's own target: Keep a working capital reserve of 16.67% of yearly general fund spending (two months), then set aside reserves for known costs such as pensions and infrastructure, and a risk-based reserve. Those set-asides ($148.3M committed at June 30, 2024) are not in the unassigned balance. City of Stockton · Sep 17, 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$124M · 36%
- Property tax$87.3M · 25%
- Utility users tax$50.5M · 15%
- Program revenues (fees and charges)$23.4M · 7%
- Franchise tax$21.6M · 6%
- Business license tax$19M · 6%
- Other (reimbursements, investment income, other taxes)$18.8M · 5%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$189M · 55%
- Fire$76M · 22%
- Administration$25.4M · 7%
- Public works$24.6M · 7%
- Economic development$9.5M · 3%
- Community services$8.2M · 2%
- Other (debt service, capital, other programs)$12.3M · 4%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
The city has no voter-approved property tax rate of its own. It gets a share of the 1% base levy; the audit table does not state that share. Homes in other school districts pay those districts' bond rates instead.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Stockton
- 1% base levy, shared by the county, city, schools and other agencies1 · 82%
- Stockton Unified School District bonds0.2026 · 17%
- San Joaquin Delta College District bonds0.0135 · 1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.2161
FY2023-24 rates for a Stockton home in the Stockton Unified School District (San Joaquin County). City of Stockton · Sep 17, 2025
See what a Stockton house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Stockton is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityStockton Police DepartmentCity of Stockton · Sep 17, 2025
- Fire and emergency medical responseThe cityStockton Fire DepartmentAlso serves four bordering fire districts under contractCity of Stockton · Jun 9, 2026
- Fire, medical and ambulance dispatchThe cityStockton Fire Department Emergency CommunicationsRegional dispatch for Stockton and other San Joaquin County agenciesCity of Stockton · Jun 9, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Stockton Municipal Utilities (about 55% of accounts)City of Stockton · Sep 17, 2025
- Sewer and stormwaterThe cityCity of Stockton Municipal UtilitiesCity of Stockton · Sep 17, 2025
- LibrariesThe cityCity of Stockton (city-county library system)City of Stockton · Sep 17, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of StocktonCity of Stockton · Sep 17, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Stockton Public WorksCity of Stockton · Sep 17, 2025
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 | Santa AnaCA | IrvineCA | RiversideCA | StocktonCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 312,808 | 317,744 | 321,884 | 322,436 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $340,200 | $434,242 | $405,696 | $390,277 |
| Council member pay | $12,000 | $10,560 | $45,732 | $30,833 |
| General fund per resident | $1,391 | $982 | $1,191 | $1,068 |
| Debt per resident | $1,677 | $1,048 | $5,627 | $1,377 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,118 | $533 | $1,209 | $2,061 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.6 | 3.5 | 8.5 | 5.6 |
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). Santa Ana and Irvine pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Stockton publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Audited financial report filed on timeThe latest posted audit, for FY2023-24, is dated Sept. 17, 2025, about 14.5 months after year end. No FY2024-25 audit was posted by Oct. 2026. City of Stockton
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 adopted budget book is posted on the city's Budget & Financial Reports page. City of Stockton
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe August 2026 amended agreement is attached to the Aug. 18, 2026 council agenda item. City of Stockton · Aug 18, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Stockton · Jun 9, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city's salary schedule lists annual salaries of $30,832.82 for a council member and $97,107 for the mayor. City of Stockton · Jul 30, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Stockton
Questions to ask your council
- The budget projected the general fund would end FY2025-26 $3.8 million short and the working capital reserve at 15.47%, below the 16.67% minimum. How will the city restore it?
- The city's two CalPERS plans were $664.7 million unfunded at June 30, 2025, and the safety plan was 68.7% funded. What is the plan to pay down that shortfall?
- The FY2023-24 audit was dated Sept. 17, 2025, and no FY2024-25 audit was posted by Oct. 2026. When will it be released?
- The FY2026-27 budget of $344.5 million does not include raises from labor talks now under way. How will any raises be paid for?
The fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30. The city manager submitted the proposed FY2026-27 budget on May 15, 2026. The council held a budget study session on June 2, 2026, and held a public hearing and adopted the budget 7-0 on June 9, 2026. See who is running for council
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