How Union City is run
Who runs Union City, 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 Union City's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Union City
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The five-member council (a mayor elected citywide and four members elected by district) approves the budget, sets taxes and fees, and appoints the city manager and city attorney. Union City is a general law city.
What they are paid
- Six months' severance pay (salary plus benefits) if removed without cause, in exchange for a release of claims
- City pays $1,700 a month into deferred compensation and $800 a month into a health savings (VEBA) account
- City-owned vehicle for work and personal use, plus phone and laptop
- CalPERS pension, leave and insurance on the same terms as department heads, with no cap on vacation accrual
- At-will employment with no fixed end date
Union City city staff
270 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 111. FY2026-27. City of Union City · Jun 24, 2025
The city posts a salary schedule with the pay range for every job title, including the city manager, mayor and council. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Union City 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: $26.3M (2023-06-30). The city's own target: Keep a general fund reserve equal to 20% (about two and a half months) of annual operating spending plus net transfers. At June 30, 2023, $16.2 million of the unassigned balance was set aside for economic uncertainty. A separate 0.5% administrative contingency is set in the budget resolution. City of Union City · Dec 10, 2024
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$23.9M · 27%
- Sales tax (base 1%)$11.8M · 13%
- Property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$10.2M · 11%
- Utility users tax$7.6M · 9%
- Licenses and permits$7.3M · 8%
- Franchise tax$6.9M · 8%
- Measure AA local sales tax$6.7M · 8%
- Business license tax$4.8M · 5%
- Other (charges for services, interest and rent, hotel tax, cannabis tax, fines, grants, other)$10M · 11%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$39.6M · 44%
- Fire (Alameda County Fire Department contract)$15.1M · 17%
- Public works$6.3M · 7%
- Economic and community development$5.8M · 6%
- Community and recreation services$5.7M · 6%
- Information technology$5.4M · 6%
- Finance$3.5M · 4%
- Other (city manager, council, clerk, attorney, HR, citywide programs, capital, non-departmental)$7.7M · 9%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Union City is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityUnion City Police DepartmentCity of Union City
- FireContractorAlameda County Fire Department (contract)Three fire stations in the city.City of Union City
- EMS / paramedicsContractorAlameda County Fire Department (contract)City of Union City
- WaterSeparate districtAlameda County Water DistrictCity of Union City
- SewerSeparate districtUnion Sanitary DistrictCity of Union City
- Trash and recyclingContractorRepublic Services and Tri-CED Community Recycling (city franchise)City of Union City
- SchoolsSeparate districtNew Haven Unified School DistrictCity of Union City
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 | BrentwoodCA | Yorba LindaCA | Union CityCA | LynwoodCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 66,070 | 66,190 | 66,665 | 66,901 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $304,515 | $315,000 | $352,873 | $315,000 |
| Council member pay | $13,807 | $6,000 | $25,500 | $11,700 |
| General fund per resident | $1,285 | $761 | $1,336 | $725 |
| Debt per resident | $2,201 | $183 | $1,590 | $1,640 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $779 | $301 | $1,657 | $591 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.3 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 2.2 |
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). Brentwood and Yorba Linda and Union City and Lynwood pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Union City 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 latest posted audit is for FY2022-23, accepted Dec. 10, 2024, 17 months after year end. FY2023-24 and FY2024-25 audits are not posted. City of Union City
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe April 2024 amended employment agreement is attached to the council agenda item in the city's NovusAgenda archive. City of Union City · Apr 9, 2024
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineAction minutes list each member's vote, e.g. the 5-0 vote adopting the budget on June 24, 2025. City of Union City · Jun 24, 2025
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Union City
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe Council Member Handbook and the citywide salary schedule state the monthly pay of the mayor and council members. City of Union City · Jul 29, 2026
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Union City · Sep 8, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The latest audited statements are for the year ended June 30, 2023, accepted Dec. 10, 2024. When will the FY2023-24 and FY2024-25 audits be published?
Help decide what comes next
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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