How Thousand Oaks is run
Who runs Thousand Oaks, 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 Thousand Oaks's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Thousand Oaks
A city manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day. The five council members, elected by district to staggered four-year terms, adopt the budget and appoint the city manager and city attorney. The council picks one of its members to serve as mayor each year.
What they are paid
- 300 hours of annual leave a year, with the option to cash out unused annual leave up to 640 hours a year
- Unused annual leave up to 640 hours paid out at retirement or separation
- Administrative leave on the same terms as executive managers, which must be used in the year it is credited
- Performance-based raises: 6.5% ($20,900) in July 2025 and 6% ($20,546.31) in July 2026
Thousand Oaks city staff
367 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public Works administration 66, Finance 64, Wastewater 38, Library 32, Planning 29. FY2024-25. City of Thousand Oaks · Dec 22, 2025
The city publishes salary schedules for every job class. The FY2025-27 budget adds four positions in each year, from 397 to 405 funded positions. We did not pull pay bands from the State Controller's database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Thousand Oaks 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: $20.7M (2025-06-30). City of Thousand Oaks · Dec 22, 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$37.9M · 30%
- Property tax$20M · 16%
- Property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$17.3M · 14%
- Charges for services$9.4M · 7%
- Franchise fees$8.1M · 6%
- Licenses and permits$5.6M · 4%
- Hotel tax (transient occupancy)$5.3M · 4%
- Other (investment income, business tax, grants, fines, other taxes, transfers in)$12.4M · 10%
- From reserves (fund balance)$11M · 9%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Salaries and benefits$50.5M · 40%
- Police contract (Ventura County Sheriff)$38.7M · 30%
- Maintenance and operations$23.2M · 18%
- Capital improvement projects$11.2M · 9%
- Transfers out to other funds$2.2M · 2%
- Other (maintenance projects and equipment)$1.2M · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Thousand Oaks incorporated without a city property tax and has no voter-approved rate of its own; it gets a share of the 1% base levy, which this table does not break out. The rest of the bill pays school and college bonds and the Metropolitan Water District. Rates differ in some other parts of the city.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Thousand Oaks
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, the city, schools and other agencies)1 · 95%
- Conejo Valley Unified School District bonds0.0271 · 3%
- Ventura County Community College District bonds0.0139 · 1%
- Metropolitan Water District0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.048
FY2025-26 rates for a home in Thousand Oaks (Ventura County), tax rate area 08000. County of Ventura Auditor-Controller
See what a Thousand Oaks home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Thousand Oaks is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceContractorVentura County Sheriff's Office, under contractThe contract was budgeted at $38.7M for FY2026-27.City of Thousand Oaks · May 13, 2025
- FireSeparate districtVentura County Fire Protection DistrictCity of Thousand Oaks · Dec 22, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of Thousand Oaks water utilityAbout 17,000 customers, covering 37 percent of the area within city limits.City of Thousand Oaks · May 13, 2025
- Sewer and wastewater treatmentThe cityCity of Thousand Oaks (Hill Canyon Treatment Plant)Serves over 37,000 accounts, about 90 percent of the city.City of Thousand Oaks · May 13, 2025
- Trash and recyclingContractorAthens Services, under a city franchise agreementCity of Thousand Oaks
- LibraryThe cityCity of Thousand Oaks library (Grant R. Brimhall Library and Newbury Park Branch Library)Paid mainly from property tax.City of Thousand Oaks · May 13, 2025
- Parks and recreationSeparate districtConejo Recreation and Park DistrictThe district maintains more than 50 parks and recreation facilities in the Conejo Valley.Conejo Recreation and Park District
- Open spaceAnother agencyConejo Open Space Conservation Agency (a joint agency of the city and the Conejo Recreation and Park District)More than 15,000 acres, about 40 percent of the city's planning area.City of Thousand Oaks · Dec 22, 2025
- City streetsThe cityCity of Thousand Oaks Public WorksCity of Thousand Oaks · May 13, 2025
- Bus and Dial-A-Ride (Thousand Oaks Transit)ContractorMV Transportation, under city contractPaid from the city's Transportation Fund.City of Thousand Oaks · May 13, 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 | Thousand OaksCA | FairfieldCA | ConcordCA | Simi ValleyCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 121,286 | 121,389 | 122,494 | 123,842 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $362,985 | $304,138 | $346,931 | $328,140 |
| Council member pay | Not current (2008) | $15,600 | $22,800 | $14,433 |
| General fund per resident | $1,048 | $1,320 | $1,173 | $812 |
| Debt per resident | $47 | $927 | $821 | $451 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $512 | $1,980 | $2,056 | $1,170 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 3.0 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 4.4 |
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). Thousand Oaks and Concord pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Thousand Oaks publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Thousand Oaks · Jun 10, 2025
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineMeetings are broadcast live and posted on YouTube, and agendas, packets and minutes are posted in the city's online meeting portal. City of Thousand Oaks · Sep 29, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe elected officials' salary schedule, effective December 10, 2008, states a monthly salary of $1,750 for the mayor and council members. City of Thousand Oaks
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Thousand Oaks
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund plan uses $10,968,785 of fund balance for capital projects and one-time costs. Which projects does that money pay for?
- The city manager's salary rose to $362,984.77 on July 4, 2026, under a contract amendment approved in July 2025. What performance goals did the council set for that raise?
- Council pay has been $1,750 a month since December 10, 2008. When did the council last review it?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The city adopts a two-year budget in June of odd-numbered years. Residents give input from January to May, the council sets goals in March, and it holds study sessions on the capital budget in April and the operating budget in May before a June public hearing. The council adopted the FY2025-26 and FY2026-27 budgets on June 10, 2025. See who is running for council
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