How Tulare is run
Who runs Tulare, 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 Tulare's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Tulare
A city manager hired by the City Council runs the city day to day and appoints department heads and staff. The five-member council, each elected by district, sets policy, approves the budget and hires the city manager, city clerk and city attorney.
What they are paid
- City puts $20,000 a year into his deferred compensation plan
- Contract runs through September 27, 2027
- The October 2025 raise and benefit package cost $32,128.52
Tulare city staff
411 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2025-26. City of Tulare · Jun 17, 2025
The city posts a salary schedule by job classification and benefit summaries. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Tulare 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 FY2025-26 budget estimates general fund revenue of $73.3 million against $69.8 million of operating spending, with $5.0 million of transfers out. It projects the unassigned balance to fall from $20.7 million to $19.3 million by June 30, 2026. The city manager wrote that keeping the general fund structurally balanced has become increasingly difficult, citing slowing sales tax growth, inflation and rising pension costs. City of Tulare · Jun 17, 2025
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $27.3M (2024-06-30). The city's own target: Under council direction the city keeps a 25% general fund reserve, equal to four months of operating spending including debt service. A separate contingency reserve is funded at no less than 1% of operating spending and transfers out; the FY2025-26 budget shows $15.3 million in it. City of Tulare · Oct 7, 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 FY2025-26.
Comes from
- Sales tax$22.3M · 31%
- Property tax$17.5M · 24%
- Utility users tax$12.2M · 17%
- Hotel tax$2.3M · 3%
- Franchise taxes$1.8M · 2%
- Other (Measure I sales tax, charges for services, permits and other revenue)$16.2M · 22%
Goes to (FY2025-26)
- Police$26.5M · 38%
- Fire$12.1M · 17%
- Community services (parks, recreation, library)$8.9M · 13%
- General services$5M · 7%
- Administration$3M · 4%
- Public works$2.9M · 4%
- Community development$2.9M · 4%
- Other (engineering, non-departmental, finance, human resources, mayor and council)$8.3M · 12%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Every property pays the 1% base levy. The audit table splits it between the county (0.859%) and the city (0.141%), before state shifts to schools. Voter-approved rates for the high school district, the health care district and the community college bring the total to about 1.10%. Rates shown are for one tax rate area; not every rate applies to every property.
13¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Tulare
- County of Tulare share of the 1% base levy0.859 · 78%
- City of Tulare share of the 1% base levy0.141 · 13%
- Tulare Joint Union High School District bonds0.06 · 5%
- Tulare Health Care District bonds0.0293 · 3%
- College of the Sequoias bonds0.014 · 1%
- Kaweah Delta Water District0.0003 · <1%
- Total (percent of assessed value)1.1036
FY2023-24 rates for a home in the city of Tulare (Tulare County). City of Tulare · Oct 7, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Tulare is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityTulare Police DepartmentCity of Tulare · Jun 17, 2025
- 911 dispatchThe cityTulare Police DepartmentDispatch is part of the police administrative division.City of Tulare · Jun 17, 2025
- FireThe cityTulare Fire DepartmentFour fire companies work from three city fire stations.City of Tulare · Jun 17, 2025
- Emergency medical responseThe cityTulare Fire DepartmentFirefighters give advanced life support as first responders.City of Tulare · Jun 17, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of Tulare Water Division24 active wells.City of Tulare · Jun 17, 2025
- SewerThe cityCity of Tulare Wastewater DivisionCity of Tulare · Jun 17, 2025
- Trash and recyclingThe cityCity of Tulare Solid Waste DivisionCity of Tulare · Jun 17, 2025
- ParksThe cityCity of Tulare Parks Division20 public parks and the 5-mile Santa Fe Trail.City of Tulare · Jun 17, 2025
- LibraryThe cityTulare Public Library, part of the city's Community Services DepartmentMember of the San Joaquin Valley Library System.City of Tulare · Jun 17, 2025
- AirportThe cityMefford Field Airport, run by the cityGeneral aviation airport.City of Tulare · Jun 17, 2025
- SchoolsSeparate districtTulare City Elementary School District, Tulare Joint Union High School District and College of the SequoiasCity of Tulare · Jun 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 | TurlockCA | TulareCA | RedlandsCA | Lake ElsinoreCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 72,592 | 72,936 | 73,811 | 74,483 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $277,140 | $254,699 | Not current (2022) | $327,540 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $19,200 |
| General fund per resident | $935 | $957 | $1,832 | $1,108 |
| Debt per resident | $1,548 | $2,804 | $263 | $2,516 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,413 | $1,175 | $2,070 | $200 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 6.3 | 5.6 | 8.8 | 2.9 |
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). Lake Elsinore pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Tulare 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 FY2023-24 audit went to the council October 7, 2025, 15 months after year end. The city's report page still listed it as the latest in July 2026. City of Tulare
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no council pay in the budget or on the Employee Salaries and Benefits page; the budget shows only a $17,680 total. City of Tulare
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Tulare
Questions to ask your council
- The audit for the year ended June 30, 2024 reached the council on October 7, 2025. When will the FY2024-25 audit be published?
- General fund spending exceeded revenue by $9.5 million in FY2023-24, including $22.9 million of capital outlay. How much of that was one-time spending?
- Police ($26,513,996) and fire ($12,111,995) are the two largest parts of the $69,766,812 FY2025-26 general fund budget. How will the city pay for public safety if sales tax keeps slowing?
- The city's CalPERS net pension liability was $85.7 million. What is the plan to pay it down?
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