How Turlock is run
Who runs Turlock, 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 Turlock's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Turlock
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
- Six months' pay as severance if fired without cause after his first year (three months before that)
- Five-year contract starting June 30, 2026
- Vehicle allowance of $400 a month
- One-time city contribution of $32,500 to his 457 retirement savings plan for 2026
- 401(a) plan: he puts in 8% of pay and the city adds 3.5%
- Up to $10,000 for relocation costs
- CalPERS retirement: $3,150 budgeted for FY2026-27
- Conference budget of $10,000 for the mayor and $3,500 for each council district
- City-paid phone and tablet service: $3,000 budgeted
Turlock city staff
455 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 142, Fire 58. FY2026-27. City of Turlock · Jun 9, 2026
The city posts monthly salary ranges for every job by bargaining group. We did not find a city list of pay by employee. Named pay here is only for the city manager. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Turlock 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 against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $41.5M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep general fund reserves equal to 22.5% of the general fund budget: 17.5% for working capital and 5% for emergencies, under a policy adopted in May 2023. The council may spend reserves above that level on one-time costs such as capital projects. City of Turlock · Apr 8, 2026
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$22.9M · 34%
- Property taxes (including property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees)$21M · 31%
- Licenses, permits and franchise fees$7.7M · 11%
- Reimbursements from other funds for administrative services$6M · 9%
- Fees and charges for services$4.3M · 6%
- Interest and property use$2.5M · 4%
- Other (hotel tax, fines, state and county aid)$3.5M · 5%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$31M · 46%
- Fire$14.1M · 21%
- Administration (council, manager, clerk, finance, attorney, HR, general government, economic development)$10.7M · 16%
- Parks, recreation and public facilities$4.1M · 6%
- Planning and building$3.8M · 6%
- Engineering$3.5M · 5%
- Animal services$778,733 · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of the bill is the 1% general levy, which Stanislaus County splits among local agencies. The rest is voter-approved school and college bonds. The city has no voter-approved debt rate of its own on this bill.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Turlock
- 1% general levy (shared by Stanislaus County, the city, schools and special districts)1 · 93%
- Turlock schools bonds (Turlock Unified and its school facilities improvement district)0.047557 · 4%
- Yosemite Community College District bonds0.023828 · 2%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.071385
FY2025-26 rates for a home in the city of Turlock (Stanislaus County, tax rate area 007-000). County of Stanislaus Auditor-Controller · Nov 3, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Turlock is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityTurlock Police DepartmentCity of Turlock
- FireThe cityTurlock Fire Department (4 stations)City of Turlock
- Emergency medical responseThe cityTurlock Fire DepartmentCity of Turlock
- 911 dispatchThe cityCity of Turlock 911 dispatch center (Police Department)City of Turlock
- WaterThe cityCity of Turlock Water FundCity of Turlock
- Sewer and storm drainsThe cityCity of Turlock Sewer FundCity of Turlock
- Trash and recyclingContractorTurlock ScavengerCity of Turlock
- ParksThe cityCity of Turlock Parks, Recreation and Public FacilitiesCity of Turlock
- City streetsThe cityCity of Turlock (Gas Tax/Street Improvement Fund)City of Turlock
- Animal servicesThe cityTurlock Police Department, Animal ServicesCity of Turlock
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 Turlock publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 adopted budget book is posted on the city's budget and financial statements page, with budgets back to FY2009-10. City of Turlock
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineJohn Murphy's employment agreement is attached to item 11B of the June 23, 2026 council agenda packet on the city's agenda portal. City of Turlock · Jun 23, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote by name, e.g. the 5-0 vote adopting the FY2026-27 budget on June 9, 2026. City of Turlock · Jun 9, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Turlock
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Turlock
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund spent $5.6 million more than it took in during FY2024-25, and its balance rose because of $33.6 million in street bond proceeds. How will the bond payments, due through 2045, fit in future budgets?
- CalPERS reported the city's three pension plans $102.6 million short at June 30, 2025, about 75% to 78% funded. Does the city have a plan to pay down that gap faster?
- The budget sets $30,000 for council salaries, but we found no document stating each member's pay. Will the city publish the pay for the mayor and each council member?
The fiscal year starts July 1. Departments begin budget work in February, and the city manager must submit a budget before June 15. This year staff presented the budget at a May 27, 2026 workshop, and the council adopted the FY2026-27 budget 5-0 on June 9, 2026. See who is running for council
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