How Oakland Park is run
Who runs Oakland Park, 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 Oakland Park's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Oakland Park
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
- 10 weeks' severance if removed without misconduct
- City-paid term life insurance of at least twice his base salary
- No car allowance
- The same health and wellness benefit offered to city employees
Oakland Park city staff
333 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27 budget. Budgeted city positions. Excludes the 98 Broward Sheriff's Office positions in the city's police district. City of Oakland Park · Sep 23, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database. With the budget, the city publishes a pay plan with salary ranges by job title, not pay for each employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Oakland Park 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 FY2027 budget draws $7.8 million from general fund reserves. The city forecasts unassigned reserves of about $19.9 million at the end of FY2027, 20.4% of general fund spending, at the low end of its 20% to 25% policy range. City of Oakland Park · Sep 23, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $27.8M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance between 20% and 25% of the current year's operating budget, including transfers. City of Oakland Park · Jun 1, 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$35.7M · 37%
- Charges for services (includes the fire assessment)$20.5M · 21%
- Other taxes (utility, franchise, communications)$10.2M · 10%
- Permits, fees and special assessments$9.1M · 9%
- Reserves used (prior years’ fund balance)$7.8M · 8%
- Loan proceeds and transfers in$6M · 6%
- State and county shared revenue$5.9M · 6%
- Other (fines, interest, miscellaneous)$2.1M · 2%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Fire rescue$26.3M · 27%
- Police (Broward Sheriff's Office contract)$24.8M · 25%
- Public works (streets, buildings, fleet, park upkeep)$11.6M · 12%
- Non-departmental (mostly transfers to other funds)$6.8M · 7%
- Building permits and code enforcement$6.2M · 6%
- Parks and recreation$5.1M · 5%
- Other (administration, finance, IT, library, planning, engineering)$16.6M · 17%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar an Oakland Park homeowner pays, about 30 cents goes to the city, including 2 cents for the voter-approved bonds for new city buildings.
30¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Oakland Park
- Broward County School Board (operating)State-required plus local board rates6.294 · 31%
- City of Oakland Park (operating)5.6799 · 28%
- Broward County5.6628 · 28%
- North Broward Hospital District1.2391 · 6%
- City of Oakland Park (voter-approved debt)0.4842 · 2%
- Children's Services Council0.45 · 2%
- South Florida Water Management District0.2301 · 1%
- Broward County School Board (voter-approved debt)0.1587 · <1%
- Florida Inland Navigation District0.027 · <1%
- Total (mills)20.2258
2026 tax year (FY2026-27) rates for a home in the city of Oakland Park (Broward County). Broward County Property Appraiser · Oct 1, 2026
See what a Oakland Park home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Oakland Park is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceContractorBroward Sheriff's Office (city contract)The contract runs through Sept. 30, 2030; the city paid $20.1 million in FY2025.City of Oakland Park · Jun 1, 2026
- FireThe cityOakland Park Fire RescueCity of Oakland Park
- EMS / ambulanceThe cityOakland Park Fire RescueNearly 80% of about 9,500 yearly calls are medical.City of Oakland Park
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of Oakland Park utilitySome annexed areas are served by Fort Lauderdale or Broward County instead.City of Oakland Park · Sep 23, 2026
- Sewage treatmentAnother agencyBroward County and City of Fort Lauderdale (agreements)The city has no treatment plant of its own.City of Oakland Park · Jun 1, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Oakland Park stormwater utilityCity of Oakland Park · Jun 1, 2026
- LibraryThe cityOakland Park LibraryOne of the few Broward cities with its own library.City of Oakland Park · Jun 1, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Oakland Park Parks & Leisure ServicesCity of Oakland Park · Jun 1, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Oakland Park Public WorksCity of Oakland Park · Sep 23, 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 | Cutler BayFL | Ormond BeachFL | Oakland ParkFL | Altamonte SpringsFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 45,361 | 45,723 | 46,465 | 47,609 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $366,097 | Not current (2022) | $321,526 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $11,224 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $678 | $1,164 | $2,096 | $1,177 |
| Debt per resident | $544 | $649 | $2,097 | $0 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $97 | $271 | $473 | $44 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 0.9 | 8.7 | 7.2 | 9.6 |
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). Cutler Bay and Oakland Park pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Oakland Park publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Audited financial report filed on timeFY2025 audited report, transmittal letter dated June 1, 2026, is on the Florida Auditor General site, inside the nine-month deadline. Unmodified opinion. City of Oakland Park · Jun 1, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Oakland Park · Jun 22, 2021
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each commissioner's vote by name, e.g. the June 17, 2026 meeting. City of Oakland Park · Jun 17, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineVideo, audio, agendas and approved minutes are posted in the city's Granicus archive, and meetings stream live. City of Oakland Park
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Oakland Park · Sep 23, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2027 budget draws $7.8 million from general fund reserves and leaves them forecast at 20.4% of spending, the bottom of the 20% to 25% policy range. What happens if costs keep rising?
- Police through the Broward Sheriff's Office cost $24.8 million in FY2027, about a quarter of the general fund. How does the commission judge the value of the contract?
- The general fund spent $8.5 million more than it took in during FY2025, covered mostly by lease financing. How will those lease payments fit future budgets?
- The city manager's base pay is $321,526 and his total package $429,302. How does the commission set his pay each June?
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