How Temecula is run
Who runs Temecula, 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 Temecula's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Temecula
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
- Car allowance of $600 a month
- Same retirement, insurance and other benefits as the Executive Management Group
- Leave accrues at 1.5 times the executive rate; he may cash out up to 250 hours a year
- If fired, a lump sum of six months' salary (or the time left on the contract, if less), rising to 12 months from Sept. 1, 2027
Temecula city staff
202 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Includes five council members and six unfunded positions. Contract public safety staff are not counted: 117 sworn Sheriff's deputies and 18 community service officers, plus 79 fire personnel. City of Temecula · May 18, 2026
The budget's schedule of authorized positions lists the monthly salary range for each city job. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Temecula 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 says its general fund is balanced in each year of its five-year forecast, with reserves fully funded. The forecast shows operating revenue above spending through FY2029-30, falling to a $159,402 gap in FY2030-31. In FY2026-27 fund balance falls $3.6M, after one-time pension payments. City of Temecula · May 18, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $112M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep general fund balance of at least 20% of operating expenditures ($19.0M), held as unassigned fund balance. The city also designates 25% of general fund appropriations as reserves for economic uncertainties and contingencies. The city meets this target. City of Temecula · Dec 18, 2025
Bar: unassigned savings of $112M. Line: the amount the city's target calls for.
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 tax$50.2M · 40%
- Transfer in from Measure S (one-cent city sales tax)$23.9M · 19%
- Property tax$12.9M · 10%
- Intergovernmental revenue$12.4M · 10%
- Licenses, permits and service charges$7.2M · 6%
- Reimbursements$5.8M · 5%
- Franchise fees$4.1M · 3%
- Other (hotel tax, Measure C special tax, other transfers in, interest, fines, less sales tax sharing)$10.4M · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Sheriff (Riverside County contract)$51.4M · 39%
- One-time pension payments and transfers out$17.8M · 14%
- Fire (CAL FIRE/Riverside County contract)$13.6M · 10%
- Public works$9M · 7%
- Parks maintenance$6.6M · 5%
- Building and safety$5.5M · 4%
- Other departments (city manager, finance, planning, HR, clerk, CIP admin, other)$26.4M · 20%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Almost all of a Temecula property tax bill is the 1% base levy set by Proposition 13, which the county splits among local agencies. Voter-approved school and water district rates add about 0.03%. Special district assessments are not included.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Temecula
- Basic 1% levy (shared by the county, city, schools and districts)1 · 97%
- School district bonds0.0175 · 2%
- Water district levies0.0082 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.0257
FY2024-25 property tax rates in the city of Temecula (Riverside County). City of Temecula · Dec 18, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Temecula is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceContractorRiverside County Sheriff's Department117 sworn officers and two police substationsCity of Temecula · May 18, 2026
- FireContractorCAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire DepartmentCity of Temecula · May 18, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity of Temecula Public WorksCity of Temecula · May 18, 2026
- Parks and recreationSeparate districtTemecula Community Services District (the City Council is its board)City of Temecula · Dec 18, 2025
- LibrarySeparate districtTemecula Community Services District, with a Riverside County library contractCity of Temecula · May 18, 2026
- Trash and recyclingSeparate districtTemecula Community Services District (Service Level D)City of Temecula · May 18, 2026
- Street lightsSeparate districtTemecula Community Services District (Service Level B)City of Temecula · May 18, 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 | MurrietaCA | Santa MariaCA | TemeculaCA | RichmondCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 112,315 | 113,041 | 113,618 | 113,695 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $362,167 | $362,041 | $367,682 | $380,089 |
| Council member pay | $18,449 | $20,483 | $22,800 | $30,294 |
| General fund per resident | $716 | $952 | $1,147 | $2,429 |
| Debt per resident | $599 | $380 | $12 | $3,661 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $599 | $1,588 | $269 | $3,108 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 6.2 | 1.8 | 7.1 |
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). Temecula pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Temecula 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 Temecula · Sep 22, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget's schedule of authorized positions lists council members at $1,900 a month. City of Temecula · May 18, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe budget's schedule of authorized positions lists monthly salary ranges for city positions. City of Temecula · May 18, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The Sheriff contract is budgeted at $51.4 million in FY2026-27, the largest general fund cost. How does the five-year forecast plan for future contract increases?
- The FY2026-27 budget moves $23.9 million from the Measure S sales tax into the general fund. What happens to services if Measure S revenue slows?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $112.0 million at June 30, 2025, against a $19.0 million minimum in city policy. How does the council decide how much to keep?
- The city's CalPERS plan was $30.6 million unfunded, and the budget says it will be fully funded by July 2026. How will the city keep it fully funded after that?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council reviews budget policies and priorities in March (March 10, 2026), the proposed budget comes out in May with a council budget workshop (May 21, 2026), and the council adopts it in June (June 9, 2026). See who is running for council
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