How Westminster is run
Who runs Westminster, 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 Westminster's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Westminster
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
- $300 a month car allowance
- Up to 90 days of continued health, life and retirement benefits after termination
- City pays professional dues, travel and training costs
- Other benefits under the city's compensation resolution for executive employees
Westminster city staff
362 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public safety 165, Community services 56, Community development 42. 2025-06-30. City of Westminster · Feb 17, 2026
The city posts citywide salary schedules with pay ranges for every job title and its yearly compensation report with pay and benefits by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Westminster 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: $33M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep committed general fund reserves equal to 32% of general fund operating spending: 17% for emergencies, 10% for budget uncertainty and 5% for infrastructure. These are held as committed fund balance ($27.4 million at June 30, 2025), separate from the unassigned balance. The audit report says the city met its target. The city meets this target. City of Westminster · Feb 17, 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
- Measures Y and E sales taxes (1.5 cents)$23M · 23%
- Sales tax$19.3M · 20%
- Property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees$14.4M · 15%
- Charges for services (including ambulance fees)$11.8M · 12%
- Property taxes (including former redevelopment share)$8.4M · 9%
- Utility users tax$5.6M · 6%
- Investment and rental income$5.4M · 5%
- Other (permits, fines, business licenses, franchise fees, hotel tax, grants, other)$10.3M · 11%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$48.4M · 50%
- Fire and paramedics (mostly the Orange County Fire Authority contract)$19.9M · 20%
- Public works$9M · 9%
- General government$8.4M · 9%
- Community development$7.4M · 8%
- Community services$4.6M · 5%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Most of the bill is the 1% base levy that the state constitution caps and the county splits among local agencies. The city's audit report says its general fund gets 7% of that levy, one of the smallest shares in Orange County. The city has no voter-approved property tax rate of its own. Parts of the city are in the Garden Grove Unified or Ocean View school districts, with different bond rates.
0¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Westminster
- 1% base levy (shared by the county, schools, the city and special districts)1 · 91%
- Westminster School District bonds0.05072 · 5%
- Coast Community College District bonds0.02343 · 2%
- Huntington Beach Union High School District bonds0.02119 · 2%
- Metropolitan Water District0.007 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)1.10234
FY2025-26 rates for a home in Westminster in the Westminster School District, Huntington Beach Union High School District and Coast Community College District (tax rate area 20-000). County of Orange Auditor-Controller · Sep 24, 2025
See what a Westminster house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Westminster is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityWestminster Police DepartmentCity of Westminster · Feb 17, 2026
- Fire and paramedicsContractorOrange County Fire Authority (city contract)OCFA has served Westminster since 1995.City of Westminster
- 911 dispatchThe cityWestminster Police Department Emergency Communications CenterCity of Westminster
- WaterThe cityCity of Westminster Water DivisionCity of Westminster
- SewerSeparate districtMidway City Sanitary DistrictCity of Westminster · Feb 17, 2026
- Trash and recyclingSeparate districtMidway City Sanitary DistrictCity of Westminster
- LibraryThe countyOC Public Libraries (Orange County), Westminster LibraryOC Public Libraries
- Animal controlThe cityWestminster Police Department Animal Control UnitAlso serves the City of Stanton.City of Westminster
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 | Mission ViejoCA | WestminsterCA | HemetCA | CarsonCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 90,401 | 90,490 | 91,479 | 91,790 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $317,444 | $319,234 | Not confirmed | $353,496 |
| Council member pay | $12,000 | $10,206 | $22,800 | $89,513 |
| General fund per resident | $917 | $1,080 | $1,051 | $1,701 |
| Debt per resident | $393 | $8 | $0 | $2,051 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $255 | $1,642 | $1,337 | $214 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 1.7 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 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). Mission Viejo and Westminster and Carson pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Westminster 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 detail book and earlier budgets are posted on the city's Financial Transparency & Reports page. City of Westminster
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineChristine Cordon's 2022 employment agreement is linked from the city's compensation page; her current pay is on the citywide salary schedule. City of Westminster
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list roll call votes by name, e.g. 5-0 votes at the Aug. 26, 2026 meeting. City of Westminster · Aug 26, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineMeetings stream on the city's YouTube channel and Granicus, whose archive links agendas, video and minutes. City of Westminster
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of Westminster · Jan 16, 2008
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Westminster
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $33.0 million at June 30, 2025, on top of $27.4 million in committed reserves. How does the council plan to use them?
- Measures Y and E sales taxes are budgeted at $23.0 million in FY2026-27, nearly a quarter of general fund revenue. Which services would change without them?
- Police spending is budgeted at $48.4 million in FY2026-27, about half of general fund operating spending. How does the council measure what that spending delivers?
Help decide what comes next
What do you want to know about Westminster 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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