How Sunnyvale is run
Who runs Sunnyvale, 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 Sunnyvale's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Sunnyvale
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
- At-will, with no fixed end date; started September 1, 2024
- Classic Tier 1 CalPERS pension and the same benefits as unclassified department directors
- Can join the city's mortgage assistance program if he buys a home in Sunnyvale
- Cashout of 500 extra hours of paid time off when hired, and 100 more in October 2025
- City retirement and health contributions of about $24,000 a year per council member and $38,689 for the mayor (2023 figures cited in a Charter Review subcommittee report)
Sunnyvale city staff
957 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public Safety (police and fire) 293, Public Works 202, Planning and Management 156, Environmental Services (utilities) 137, Library and Recreation 82, Community Development 54, NOVA Workforce Services 32. FY2025. Budgeted positions. The Department of Public Safety is a combined police and fire agency; all officers are certified in both. City of Sunnyvale · Dec 4, 2025
The city's salary resolution posts pay ranges by job. The State Controller's Government Compensation in California site lists pay by position; we did not pull pay bands from it. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Sunnyvale 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: $129M (2025-06-30). City of Sunnyvale · Dec 4, 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$146M · 48%
- Sales and use tax$44.2M · 15%
- Hotel tax (transient occupancy)$21.9M · 7%
- In-lieu charges$19M · 6%
- Rents and concessions$12.2M · 4%
- Utility users taxes$11.1M · 4%
- Franchise fees$8.9M · 3%
- Other (fees, interest, permits, state aid, other taxes)$28M · 9%
- From reserves$11.4M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Pay and benefits, public safety$84.3M · 28%
- Pay and benefits, other employees$81.3M · 27%
- Other operating costs$59M · 19%
- Transfers to other funds (mostly employee benefits)$50.7M · 17%
- Projects$8.6M · 3%
- Civic Center debt service$7.5M · 2%
- Public safety recruitment$7.3M · 2%
- Other (equipment, unhoused services, budget supplements)$4.2M · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
The city has no voter-approved add-on rate of its own; it gets a share of the 1% base levy, which this table does not break out. Homes in other school districts (Cupertino, Santa Clara Unified, Mountain View-Los Altos) pay different school rates, and homes in the El Camino Hospital district add 0.0020.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Sunnyvale
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, the city, schools and other agencies)1 · 87%
- Fremont Union High School District bonds0.0397 · 3%
- Santa Clara County retirement levy0.0388 · 3%
- Sunnyvale School District bonds0.0286 · 2%
- Foothill-De Anza Community College District bonds0.0286 · 2%
- Santa Clara County hospital bond0.0055 · <1%
- Santa Clara County housing bond0.0043 · <1%
- Santa Clara Valley Water District0.0041 · <1%
- Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District0.0013 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.1509
FY2024-25 rates for a Sunnyvale home in the Sunnyvale, Fremont Union High and Foothill-De Anza districts (Santa Clara County). City of Sunnyvale · Dec 4, 2025
See what a Sunnyvale house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Sunnyvale is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- Police and fireThe citySunnyvale Department of Public SafetyA combined police and fire agency; all officers are certified in both.City of Sunnyvale · Dec 4, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of Sunnyvale water utilityCity of Sunnyvale · Dec 4, 2025
- Sewer and wastewater treatmentThe cityCity of Sunnyvale wastewater utilityThe city's treatment plant also serves part of Cupertino.City of Sunnyvale · Dec 4, 2025
- Trash and recyclingThe cityCity of Sunnyvale solid waste utility and SMaRT StationThe SMaRT transfer station also serves Mountain View.City of Sunnyvale · Dec 4, 2025
- LibraryThe citySunnyvale Public Library (city)City of Sunnyvale · Dec 4, 2025
- Parks, recreation, golf and tennisThe cityCity of SunnyvaleCity of Sunnyvale · Dec 4, 2025
- City streets and storm drainsThe cityCity of SunnyvaleCity of Sunnyvale · Dec 4, 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 | 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 Sunnyvale 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 Sunnyvale · Aug 27, 2024
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineLegistar minutes name each member's vote, e.g. the FY2026/27 budget passed 6-0 with one member absent. City of Sunnyvale · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentA January 2026 salary resolution lists annual rates of $38,143.73 for council members and $50,858.37 for the mayor. City of Sunnyvale · Jan 27, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Sunnyvale · Oct 21, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- The city's two CalPERS plans were $418.8M short at June 30, 2025, and the city's own pension trust held $29.9M. How much more will the city put toward the shortfall each year?
- Council members are paid $38,144 a year and the mayor $50,858, rising only with inflation under the charter. Does the council plan to ask voters to change that?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The City Manager submitted the FY2026/27 budget on May 6, 2026. The council held a budget workshop May 19 and a public hearing June 2, and adopted the budget June 16, 2026 on a 6-0 vote with one member absent. See who is running for council
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