How Woodland is run
Who runs Woodland, 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 Woodland's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Woodland
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day, prepares the budget and appoints department directors. The five-member council, elected by district, sets policy and adopts the budget.
What they are paid
- City matches deferred compensation up to 5% of base salary
- 20 days of vacation a year plus 96 hours of administrative leave each July 1
- City-paid $50,000 term life insurance and disability insurance
- Four-year term from Aug. 1, 2023, with an option for a fifth year
Woodland city staff
323 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. City of Woodland · Jun 16, 2026
The city's transparency page links to the State Controller's public pay site, but the link points to 2017 data. We found no city-published pay list by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Woodland 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: $34M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep a general fund reserve of at least 20% of budgeted revenue, not counting Measure F sales tax revenue. City of Woodland · Jul 16, 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 FY2025-26.
Comes from
- Sales and other taxes (incl. Measures F and R, hotel tax)$30.2M · 40%
- Property taxes$18.7M · 25%
- State subventions$8.1M · 11%
- Other miscellaneous$7M · 9%
- Permits, fees and charges$6M · 8%
- Other (service charges, fines, grants)$1.2M · 2%
- Gap covered from fund balance$3.6M · 5%
Goes to (FY2025-26)
- Police$28.1M · 38%
- Fire$15.3M · 21%
- Non-departmental$12.5M · 17%
- Community services (parks and recreation)$6.7M · 9%
- Administrative services$4.9M · 7%
- Community development$4.4M · 6%
- Other (library, public works)$2.8M · 4%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Woodland is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityWoodland Police DepartmentCity of Woodland · Jul 16, 2026
- FireThe cityWoodland Fire DepartmentCity of Woodland · Jul 16, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Woodland (water utility)City of Woodland · Jul 16, 2026
- Sewer and storm drainThe cityCity of WoodlandCity of Woodland · Jul 16, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorWaste Management of Woodland (city franchise)10-year franchise agreementCity of Woodland · Jun 17, 2025
- ElectricityAnother agencyValley Clean EnergyCommunity choice power agency of Yolo County, Davis and WoodlandCity of Woodland · Jul 16, 2026
- LibraryThe cityWoodland Public Library (city)City of Woodland · Jul 16, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of WoodlandCity of Woodland · Jul 16, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity of WoodlandCity of Woodland · Jul 16, 2026
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 | HanfordCA | La HabraCA | WoodlandCA | La MesaCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 60,837 | 61,269 | 61,324 | 61,707 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $243,684 | $319,065 | Not current (2023) | $313,524 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $6,000 | Not confirmed | $22,800 |
| General fund per resident | $734 | $1,190 | $1,257 | $1,315 |
| Debt per resident | $743 | $1,615 | $2,953 | $438 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $489 | $573 | $2,071 | $1,984 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.4 | 5.8 | 5.3 | 4.8 |
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). La Habra pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Woodland 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 audit for the year ended June 30, 2025 is dated July 16, 2026, more than a year after the year closed. City of Woodland · Jul 16, 2026
- Partly: Adopted budget posted online City of Woodland · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Woodland · Jun 16, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget says the council's budget covers stipends but gives no amount. We found no ordinance stating council pay. City of Woodland · Jun 17, 2025
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Woodland
Questions to ask your council
- In FY2024-25 the general fund earned $13.6 million from investments, $13.3 million more than budgeted. How much of that can be counted on in future years?
- The audit for the year ended June 30, 2025 was dated July 16, 2026. What will it take to finish future audits sooner?
- The city's two CalPERS plans had a combined $127.0 million net pension liability as of June 30, 2024. What is the plan to pay it down?
The fiscal year starts July 1. Budget work begins each December. In 2026 the council held a spring budget workshop April 14, reviewed the Measure F and R spending plans May 19 and funding recommendations June 2, and adopted the FY2026-27 budget June 16, 2026. See who is running for council
Help decide what comes next
What do you want to know about Woodland next?
One tap, no sign-in. We count answers; we never show who chose what.
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?
See something wrong? Report an error
Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.