How Castle Rock is run
Who runs Castle Rock, 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 Castle Rock's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Castle Rock
A town manager hired by the council runs the town day to day and appoints the department heads. The seven-member council, including the mayor, passes ordinances and adopts the budget. The council also hires the town attorney and the municipal judge.
What they are paid
Castle Rock city staff
667 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 148, Fire & Rescue 118. FY2026. Benefit-eligible positions in the 2026 budget, all funds. Town of Castle Rock · Sep 16, 2025
The town posts pay ranges by position title, but no pay list by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Castle Rock 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 2026 budget expects a general fund operating surplus of about $6.7 million before one-time items, and plans to use $2.0 million of fund balance after one-time spending. The town's five-year plan forecasts the general fund adding to its balance each year from 2027 to 2030, from $6.1 million down to $2.2 million. The 2027 sales tax forecast includes a new Costco. Town of Castle Rock · Sep 16, 2025
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $38.1M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: The town keeps a cash reserve of at least three months of general fund operating expenses. The city meets this target. Town of Castle Rock · Jun 11, 2026
Bar: unassigned savings of $38.1M. Line: the amount the city's target calls for.
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.
Comes from
- Sales tax$64.7M · 65%
- Motor vehicle tax$6.7M · 7%
- Transfers in$6.4M · 6%
- Management fees from other funds$5M · 5%
- Charges for service$4.8M · 5%
- Interfund loan repayments$4.7M · 5%
- Franchise fees$3M · 3%
- Other$5M · 5%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$30.7M · 30%
- Fire$29.7M · 29%
- Finance non-departmental$10.1M · 10%
- Parks$9.2M · 9%
- Finance department$7.5M · 7%
- Information technology$5.3M · 5%
- Other$9.7M · 10%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
The town's own levy is a small part of the bill. Most of it goes to the school district and the county. Many neighborhoods also pay a metro district levy that is not shown here.
1¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Castle Rock
- Douglas County School District4.5528 · 66%
- Douglas County1.8726 · 27%
- Douglas County Libraries0.4 · 6%
- Town of Castle Rock0.092 · 1%
- Cedar Hill Cemetery0.0104 · <1%
- Total (% of assessed value)6.9278
2025 collection-year rates for a home in the Town of Castle Rock (Douglas County), before any metro district levy. Town of Castle Rock · Sep 16, 2025
See what a Castle Rock home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Castle Rock is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCastle Rock Police DepartmentTown of Castle Rock · Jun 11, 2026
- Fire protectionThe cityCastle Rock Fire and RescueTown of Castle Rock · Jun 11, 2026
- Emergency medical servicesThe cityCastle Rock Fire and RescueTown of Castle Rock · Jun 11, 2026
- WaterThe cityCastle Rock Water (town utility)Town of Castle Rock · Jun 11, 2026
- Sewer (wastewater)The cityCastle Rock Water (town utility)Town of Castle Rock · Jun 11, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCastle Rock Water (town utility)Town of Castle Rock · Jun 11, 2026
- StreetsThe cityTown of Castle Rock Public WorksTown of Castle Rock · Jun 11, 2026
- Public transitThe cityTown of Castle RockTown of Castle Rock · Jun 11, 2026
- Parks, open space and recreation centerThe cityTown of Castle Rock Parks and RecreationTown of Castle Rock · Jun 11, 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 | ErieCO | ParkerCO | Castle RockCO | BoulderCO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 40,904 | 65,985 | 83,815 | 105,689 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $230,000 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $358,426 |
| Council member pay | $3,600 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,847 | $1,257 | $1,219 | $1,840 |
| Debt per resident | $1,354 | $486 | $2,063 | $2,987 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $0 | $0 | $5 | $834 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 7.8 | 7.4 | 8.0 | 14.6 |
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). Erie pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Castle Rock publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no employment agreement or salary for the town manager on the town manager page, the pay tables or the ordinance archive. Town of Castle Rock
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no council or mayor pay amount in the 2026 budget or the town's financial pages. Town of Castle Rock · Sep 16, 2025
- Partly: Employee pay published Town of Castle Rock
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund balance was $38.1 million on December 31, 2025, about twice the $18.9 million three-month cash reserve. What does the town plan to do with the rest?
- Long-term debt was $172.9 million at December 31, 2025. What revenue repays the certificates of participation issued for the Sports Center?
- Sales tax is $64.7 million of the $102.2 million FY2026 general fund budget. How would services change if sales tax falls short of the forecast?
- The town manager's salary is not posted online. Will the town publish the manager's employment agreement?
Help decide what comes next
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