How Suisun City is run
Who runs Suisun City, 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 Suisun City's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Suisun City
Suisun City uses the council-manager form. Voters elect the mayor and four council members to four-year terms. The council sets policy and hires the city manager, who runs day-to-day affairs; the council also appoints the city attorney.
What they are paid
- One-time $10,000 bonus if the council finds he met first-year performance goals
- City-paid health benefits: $66,888 budgeted for the council in FY2026-27
- Vehicle allowances: $19,140 budgeted for the council in FY2026-27
Suisun City city staff
123 full-time-equivalent positions. 2026-06-15. Budgeted positions as of June 15, 2026, of which 12 were vacant. City of Suisun City · Jun 23, 2026
The city posts its citywide salary schedule in council agenda packets. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Suisun City 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 FY2026-27 the third year of a five-year resilience bridge plan adopted in June 2024. It plans to draw $2.4 million from reserves in FY2026-27 and $1.5 million to $2.0 million in FY2027-28, leaving about $6.4 million at June 30, 2027, slightly above its $6.0 million minimum. Staff say general fund revenue of about $30.2 million is far below what full services would cost, and a mid-cycle review in FY2027-28 will set the next plan. City of Suisun City · Jun 23, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $11.1M (2024-06-30). The city's own target: Keep a general fund emergency reserve of at least 20% of operating spending. The FY2023-24 audit says the reserve was $5.2 million (21%). The FY2026-27 budget puts the minimum at $6.0 million and projects about $6.4 million at June 30, 2027. The city meets this target. City of Suisun City · Oct 15, 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 and use taxes (incl. Measure S)$9.9M · 31%
- Charges for services$6.8M · 21%
- Property taxes and VLF$6.6M · 20%
- Drawn from the general fund stabilization reserve$2.5M · 8%
- Franchise fees$1.4M · 4%
- Other miscellaneous revenue$1.4M · 4%
- Transfers in$1.2M · 4%
- Other (licenses and permits, hotel tax, business license tax, interest, fines, grants, property transfer tax)$2.7M · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police (operations, chief's office, community service officers, K-9)$11.8M · 36%
- Fire and emergency preparedness$6M · 19%
- Administration and finance (council, clerk, manager, HR, finance, utility billing, net of $1.3M vacancy savings)$4.4M · 14%
- Public safety dispatch and animal control$3.3M · 10%
- Recreation and community services$2.8M · 9%
- Public works, landscaping and building maintenance$2.5M · 8%
- Other (building, planning, economic development, code enforcement, library)$1.6M · 5%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Every property pays the 1% base levy, which the county collects and splits among local agencies. Voter-approved rates of overlapping agencies bring the total to about 1.12%.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Suisun City
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, city, schools and other agencies)1 · 89%
- Voter-approved rates of overlapping agencies0.119 · 11%
- Total (percent of assessed value)1.119
FY2023-24 rates for a home in Suisun City (Solano County). City of Suisun City · Oct 15, 2025
See what a Suisun City home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Suisun City is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySuisun City Police DepartmentCity of Suisun City · Oct 15, 2025
- FireThe citySuisun City Fire DepartmentCity of Suisun City · Oct 15, 2025
- Police and fire dispatchThe cityCity of Suisun City Public Safety DispatchCity of Suisun City · Oct 15, 2025
- Local sewer linesThe cityCity of Suisun City Public WorksCity of Suisun City · Dec 16, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Suisun CityCity of Suisun City · Oct 15, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Suisun CityCity of Suisun City · Oct 15, 2025
- Planning and building inspectionThe cityCity of Suisun CityCity of Suisun City · Oct 15, 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 | East Palo AltoCA | Suisun CityCA | Laguna HillsCA | LawndaleCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 29,462 | 29,720 | 30,275 | 31,130 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $317,212 | $268,955 | $290,000 | $255,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not current (2021) | $7,484 | $11,400 |
| General fund per resident | $1,338 | $1,094 | $1,139 | $744 |
| Debt per resident | $19 | $232 | $3 | $8 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $562 | $846 | $201 | $348 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 2.2 |
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). East Palo Alto and Laguna Hills and Lawndale pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Suisun City 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 audit posted is for FY2023-24, with a transmittal letter dated October 15, 2025, more than 15 months after year end. We found no FY2024-25 report. City of Suisun City
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote by name, such as the 3-2 vote adopting the FY2026-27 budget on June 23, 2026. City of Suisun City · Jul 7, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe council page links to live and archived meeting video. Approved minutes appear in later council agenda packets. City of Suisun City
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentAn April 2, 2024 staff report states that Resolution 2021-50 set council pay at $654.86 a month. City of Suisun City · Apr 2, 2024
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Suisun City · Sep 22, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 budget draws $2.4 million from reserves and projects about $6.4 million left against a $6.0 million minimum. What would the city cut if FY2027-28 needs another $1.5 million to $2.0 million?
- The latest posted audit covers FY2023-24 and is dated October 15, 2025. When will the FY2024-25 audit be published?
- Police is the largest general fund line at $11.8 million. How will police staffing change if Measure S revenue keeps falling?
The fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30. The council discussed the FY2026-27 budget on June 4, 2026 and adopted it on June 23, 2026 by a 3-2 vote. Staff planned to return in September with a line-item review. See who is running for council
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