How Dunedin is run
Who runs Dunedin, 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 Dunedin's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Dunedin
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
- City pays 8% of base salary into a 401(a) retirement plan, plus the IRS maximum into a 457 plan
- $500 a month vehicle allowance and $120 a month cell phone allowance
- City pays all medical and dental premiums and a $500,000 term life policy
- 25 workdays of vacation a year after two years
- Must live inside the city
- Commission benefits budget (all five members): $63,300 (FY2027)
Dunedin city staff
428 full-time-equivalent positions, including Parks and recreation 110, Utilities and engineering 89, Public works 72, Fire and EMS 65. FY2026-27. Includes part-time and on-demand staff. Police officers are not city employees: the city contracts with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. City of Dunedin · Aug 24, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database. The city's yearly pay plan lists the salary range for every position, but not what each person is paid. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Dunedin 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
Unassigned general fund balance: $10.4M (2025-09-30). City of Dunedin · Jun 29, 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$18.8M · 38%
- Charges for services$11M · 22%
- Intergovernmental (state and federal, incl. FEMA reimbursement)$7.2M · 14%
- Other taxes (utility, communications)$6M · 12%
- Licenses, permits and fees$3.5M · 7%
- Borrowing (debt proceeds)$2M · 4%
- Other (miscellaneous, fines)$1.4M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety (fire rescue and sheriff's contract)$20.9M · 43%
- Culture and recreation$16.2M · 33%
- General government$7.8M · 16%
- Transportation$2.3M · 5%
- Debt service$1.5M · 3%
- Transfers out$525,000 · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Dunedin homeowner pays, about 23 cents goes to the city. The EMS and transit rates apply to real estate only. The city has kept its rate at 4.1345 since FY2016, including for FY2026-27.
23¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Dunedin
- Pinellas County School BoardState-required 3.0450 plus local 3.24806.293 · 36%
- Pinellas County (general fund and health department)4.6136 · 26%
- City of Dunedin4.1345 · 23%
- Juvenile Welfare Board0.825 · 5%
- Pinellas County EMS0.805 · 5%
- Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority0.73 · 4%
- Southwest Florida Water Management District0.1831 · 1%
- Pinellas Planning Council0.0175 · <1%
- Total (mills)17.6017
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the city of Dunedin (Pinellas County). Pinellas County Tax Collector
See what a Dunedin home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Dunedin is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe countyPinellas County Sheriff's Office (city contract)City of Dunedin · Aug 24, 2026
- FireThe cityDunedin Fire RescueAlso covers unincorporated areas of the Dunedin Fire DistrictCity of Dunedin · Aug 24, 2026
- Sewer and reclaimed waterThe cityCity of DunedinCity of Dunedin · Jun 29, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity of Dunedin Public WorksCity of Dunedin · Jun 29, 2026
- LibraryThe cityDunedin Public LibraryCity of Dunedin · Jun 29, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Dunedin Parks & RecreationCity of Dunedin · Jun 29, 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 | Dania BeachFL | DunedinFL | LeesburgFL | Winter SpringsFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 34,034 | 35,742 | 37,541 | 39,170 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $290,000 | Not current (2017) | $261,706 | $225,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $11,500 | $14,229 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $2,640 | $1,377 | $1,165 | $689 |
| Debt per resident | $1,894 | $2,623 | $3,370 | $522 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $600 | $100 | $149 | $-107 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 7.2 | 12.0 | 14.9 | 5.1 |
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). Dania Beach and Dunedin pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Dunedin publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Dunedin
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Dunedin
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes name each member voting aye or nay, e.g. the 4-0 votes at the Aug. 6, 2026 meeting. City of Dunedin · Aug 6, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Dunedin · Sep 21, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe FY2026 pay plan lists the mayor at $15,000 and each commissioner at $11,500 a year. City of Dunedin
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Dunedin
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $10.4 million at Sept. 30, 2025, above the city's 15% goal, but FY2025 spending ran $3.2 million over revenue. How long can reserves cover gaps of that size?
- The city manager's 2017 contract set her salary at $163,000, and later raises are recorded only as percentages. Will the city publish her current salary?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The proposed budget is published by June 30, the commission holds budget workshops (July 21 and Aug. 4, 2026), sets a maximum tax rate in July (July 23), and holds two public hearings in September (Sept. 3 and Sept. 17). The FY2027 budget and a 4.1345 mill tax rate were adopted Sept. 17, 2026. See who is running for council
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