How St. Cloud is run
Who runs St. Cloud, 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 St. Cloud's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs St. Cloud
A city manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day as its chief executive officer. The five-member council, including the mayor, sets policy and adopts the budget.
What they are paid
St. Cloud city staff
796 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (sworn) 140, Fire control 128. FY2026-27. Funded positions in the FY2027 budget: 653 full-time and 143 part-time. City of St. Cloud · Sep 17, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database. The budget shows salary totals by department, not pay by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is St. Cloud 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 city says the FY2027 budget is structurally balanced without using general fund reserves for the first time in 31 years, apart from one-time capital purchases. The 48 new firefighters are partly paid by a federal SAFER grant, and the city must absorb their full cost starting in April 2029. General fund reserves were projected at about $19 million (24.0%) at the end of FY2026. City of St. Cloud · Sep 17, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $14.4M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance at no less than 12.5% of general fund operating expenditures; the budget says operating expenditures and transfers out. City of St. Cloud · Mar 25, 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$36.4M · 38%
- Orlando Utilities Commission electric agreement payment$13.2M · 14%
- Toho Water Authority agreement payment$5.9M · 6%
- Half-cent sales tax$5.2M · 6%
- Utility tax$5.1M · 5%
- Federal public safety grants (SAFER)$4.2M · 4%
- Ambulance transport charges$2.8M · 3%
- Other (fees, other taxes, interest, transfers)$21.7M · 23%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$32.1M · 34%
- Fire rescue and EMS$27.3M · 29%
- Parks and recreation$8.9M · 9%
- Public works$6.7M · 7%
- Information technology$4.1M · 4%
- Community development$3.3M · 4%
- Finance$2.3M · 2%
- Other (council, manager, legal, clerk, HR, procurement, administration)$9.8M · 10%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a St. Cloud homeowner pays, about 29 cents goes to the city. The county's 1.0682-mill EMS tax is not charged inside the city. The city rate of 5.1128 mills is unchanged for the 14th year.
29¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of St. Cloud
- Osceola CountyGeneral fund 6.7000, library district 0.3000, Save Osceola 0.25007.25 · 41%
- Osceola County School Board5.277 · 30%
- City of St. Cloud5.1128 · 29%
- South Florida Water Management District0.2301 · 1%
- Total (mills)17.8699
2026 tax year (FY2026-27) rates for a home in the city of St. Cloud (Osceola County). Osceola County Property Appraiser · Oct 1, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in St. Cloud is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySt. Cloud Police DepartmentCity of St. Cloud · Sep 17, 2026
- Fire protectionThe citySt. Cloud Fire Rescue DepartmentCity of St. Cloud
- Water and sewerSeparate districtToho Water AuthorityCity of St. Cloud · Mar 25, 2026
- ElectricityAnother agencyOrlando Utilities Commission (OUC)OUC pays the city 9.5% of electric sales under the agreement.City of St. Cloud · Mar 25, 2026
- Trash collectionThe cityCity of St. Cloud SanitationCity of St. Cloud · Mar 25, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity of St. Cloud Stormwater utilityCity of St. Cloud · Mar 25, 2026
- Streets and sidewalksThe cityCity of St. Cloud Public Works, Streets DivisionCity of St. Cloud
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of St. Cloud Parks and Recreation DepartmentCity of St. Cloud · Sep 17, 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 | WestonFL | St CloudFL | TamaracFL | LauderhillFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 68,311 | 71,242 | 73,563 | 74,772 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $294,793 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $16,479 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,173 | $1,327 | $1,348 | $1,248 |
| Debt per resident | $288 | $1,526 | $649 | $1,912 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $3 | $336 | $-379 | $512 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.2 | 11.2 | 6.3 | 6.6 |
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). Weston and Tamarac pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What St. Cloud publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: Adopted budget posted online City of St. Cloud
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no posted copy of the city manager's employment agreement on the city website or in council agendas posted since May 2025. City of St. Cloud
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget shows salary totals by department, not pay by position. Florida has no statewide pay database. City of St. Cloud · Sep 17, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The 48 firefighters added in FY2026-27 are partly paid by a federal SAFER grant, and the city must absorb their full cost starting in April 2029. How will the general fund cover that cost?
- Payments from OUC ($13.2 million) and Toho Water Authority ($5.9 million) make up about a fifth of the $94.5 million FY2026-27 general fund budget. How would the budget cope if either payment fell?
- The police and firefighters' pension plan was 83.50% funded on Sept. 30, 2025, $20.1 million short. What is the plan to close that gap?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The Finance Committee reviews the budget in July and the council holds a budget workshop in early August. Two public hearings follow in September; the FY2027 budget was adopted at the final hearing on Sept. 17, 2026. See who is running for council
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