How Twentynine Palms is run
Who runs Twentynine Palms, 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 Twentynine Palms's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Twentynine Palms
A City Manager hired by the council runs the city day to day and appoints department heads. The five council members are each elected by district to four-year terms, and the council chooses one of them as mayor. The council adopts the budget and also hires the City Attorney. Twentynine Palms is a general law city.
What they are paid
Twentynine Palms city staff
The budget includes a classification schedule with a pay range for each job title; the City Manager's pay is listed as negotiated. Police are Sheriff's deputies under contract and fire service is run by the county, so they are not city employees. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Twentynine Palms 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 budget compares ongoing revenue with ongoing spending: $15.29M against $15.10M for FY2026-27. The revised FY2026-27 budget shows an $8,550 surplus after a planned use of reserves. The city expects hotel tax revenue to stay flat. City of Twentynine Palms · May 26, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $12.8M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance at 50% to 55% of yearly operating spending. Amounts above the council's level go to the General Capital Projects Fund. At June 30, 2025 the unassigned balance was 97% of general fund spending. City of Twentynine Palms · Oct 28, 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 in lieu of vehicle license fees$4.9M · 31%
- Property tax$3.5M · 22%
- Hotel tax (TOT)$2M · 13%
- Sales tax$1.6M · 10%
- Franchise fees$917,093 · 6%
- Building and road permits$525,000 · 3%
- Other (interest, fees, grants, $355,000 from reserves, transfers in)$2.3M · 14%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Law enforcement (Sheriff contract)$6.7M · 43%
- Community services and parks$2.1M · 14%
- Administration (manager, city hall, attorney, finance, clerk, IT)$2.1M · 14%
- Non-departmental (insurance, pension and OPEB payments, other overhead)$2M · 13%
- Animal control$718,132 · 5%
- Community development$572,129 · 4%
- Public works administration and street sweeping$553,598 · 4%
- Other (building and safety, code enforcement, council)$868,911 · 6%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Every property pays the 1% base levy set by Proposition 13, shared among the city, county, schools and other agencies. The city gets about 28 cents of each base-levy dollar. Voter-approved school and college bonds add about 0.05%. Not all rates apply to all properties.
27¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Twentynine Palms
- City of Twentynine Palms (share of the 1% base levy)City share in its largest tax rate area0.28073 · 27%
- County, schools and other agencies (rest of the 1% base levy)0.71927 · 68%
- Morongo Unified School District bonds0.0354 · 3%
- Copper Mountain Community College bonds0.0161 · 2%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.0515
FY2024-25 rates for a property in Twentynine Palms (San Bernardino County). City of Twentynine Palms · Oct 28, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Twentynine Palms is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe countySan Bernardino County Sheriff's DepartmentContract covers patrol, investigation and a school resource officerCity of Twentynine Palms · May 26, 2026
- FireThe countySan Bernardino County Fire DepartmentCity of Twentynine Palms · Oct 28, 2025
- WaterSeparate districtTwentynine Palms Water DistrictCity of Twentynine Palms · Oct 28, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity Public WorksCity of Twentynine Palms · Oct 28, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity Community ServicesCity of Twentynine Palms · Oct 28, 2025
- Swimming poolThe cityCity Luckie Park PoolOpen May through September with lifeguardsCity of Twentynine Palms · May 26, 2026
- Animal control and shelterThe cityCity Animal ControlCity of Twentynine Palms · May 26, 2026
- Planning and zoningThe cityCity Community DevelopmentCity of Twentynine Palms · Oct 28, 2025
- Public transitAnother agencyMorongo Basin Transit AuthorityA joint powers authority created in 1989City of Twentynine Palms · Oct 28, 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 | SoledadCA | GaltCA | Twentynine PalmsCA | SangerCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 27,065 | 27,133 | 27,166 | 27,403 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $254,383 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $200,000 |
| Council member pay | $11,400 | Not confirmed | $5,580 | Not current (2017) |
| General fund per resident | $605 | $1,222 | $580 | $958 |
| Debt per resident | $883 | $817 | $41 | $1,838 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $274 | $1,120 | $59 | $322 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 7.4 | — | 5.7 |
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). Soledad and Galt and Twentynine Palms pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Twentynine Palms publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe finance page links adopted and amended budgets, including the FY2026-27 adopted budget. City of Twentynine Palms
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe agreement documents were provided at the meeting. They are not in the posted agenda packet or the minutes. City of Twentynine Palms · May 12, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list ayes, noes and abstentions by member name. City of Twentynine Palms · May 12, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineAgendas, minutes and staff reports are online, along with meeting videos. City of Twentynine Palms
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of Twentynine Palms · Jun 9, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Twentynine Palms · May 26, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund balance was $12.8 million at June 30, 2025, 97% of general fund spending, against a 50% to 55% policy. What does the council plan for the amount above the policy?
- The Sheriff contract and other law enforcement costs are $6.74 million of the $15.8 million FY2026-27 general fund budget. How will the city plan for yearly increases in that contract?
- Ongoing revenue ($15.29 million) is only slightly above ongoing spending ($15.10 million) in FY2026-27, and hotel tax is expected to stay flat. What would keep the budget balanced in FY2027-28?
- The new City Manager's employment agreement is not in the posted agenda packet. Will the city post it?
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