How Clermont is run
Who runs Clermont, 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 Clermont's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Clermont
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
- $500 a month for use of his own vehicle
- Life insurance of 1.5 times salary, up to $200,000
- Paid for unused vacation and sick leave when he leaves
Clermont city staff
464 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 104, Fire 109. FY2025. Full-time equivalent employees on Sept. 30, 2025, up from 318 in 2016. City of Clermont · Mar 31, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database. The budget shows salary totals by department, not pay by position. The city manager's contract is public. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Clermont 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: $36.6M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Keep general fund reserves equal to at least 25% of operating expenses (Resolution 2020-53R). The FY2026 budget proposed changing the policy. City of Clermont · Mar 31, 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
- Property taxes$29M · 41%
- State and federal money (intergovernmental)$11.9M · 17%
- Other taxes (utility, communications, fuel)$8.8M · 12%
- Licenses, permits and franchise fees$6M · 8%
- Interest, rents and other$4.4M · 6%
- Charges for services$3.9M · 5%
- Drawn from reserves$3.8M · 5%
- Transfers from other funds$3.4M · 5%
- Other$105,000 · 0%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety (police and fire)$45.2M · 63%
- General government$8.4M · 12%
- Parks and recreation$7.3M · 10%
- Streets and public works$6.8M · 10%
- Human services$1.8M · 3%
- Transfers to other funds$1.2M · 2%
- Other$543,308 · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Clermont homeowner pays, about 28 cents goes to the city. The county's fire and stormwater taxes apply only outside the city. For FY2026-27 the council cut the city rate to 4.2000 mills.
28¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Clermont
- Lake County School BoardState-required 3.0870 plus local 2.99806.085 · 36%
- Lake County5.0254 · 30%
- City of Clermont4.59 · 28%
- Lake County ambulance district0.4629 · 3%
- Lake County Water Authority0.294 · 2%
- St. Johns River Water Management District0.1793 · 1%
- Lake County voter-approved debt0.04 · <1%
- Total (mills)16.6766
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the city of Clermont (Lake County). Lake County Property Appraiser · Oct 8, 2025
See what a Clermont house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Clermont is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityClermont Police DepartmentCity of Clermont · Mar 31, 2026
- Fire protectionThe cityClermont Fire DepartmentCity of Clermont · Mar 31, 2026
- Ambulance transportThe countyLake CountyThe fire department answers medical calls but must wait for a county ambulance to transport patients; the city is starting its own ALS transport units.City of Clermont · Sep 18, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Clermont Public WorksCity of Clermont · Mar 31, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Clermont Parks & RecreationCity of Clermont · Mar 31, 2026
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of Clermont utilitiesCity of Clermont · Mar 31, 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 | Altamonte SpringsFL | Coral GablesFL | ClermontFL | TitusvilleFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 47,609 | 50,853 | 51,042 | 51,158 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $316,011 | $192,004 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $40,794 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,177 | $5,004 | $1,397 | $1,263 |
| Debt per resident | $0 | $1,958 | $1,144 | $445 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $44 | $2,680 | $-182 | $286 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 9.6 | 18.8 | 9.1 | 11.7 |
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).
What Clermont publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe 2025 employment agreement is in the Aug. 26, 2025 council agenda packet on the city's CivicClerk portal. City of Clermont · Aug 26, 2025
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of Clermont · Sep 17, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedBudgets show salary totals by department, not pay by position. Florida has no statewide pay database. The city manager's contract is public. City of Clermont · Sep 17, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $36.6 million on Sept. 30, 2025, against a 25% policy. How much does the council plan to keep, and what is the rest for?
- The city is starting its own ambulance transport instead of waiting for county ambulances. What will it cost the general fund each year once running?
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