How Tallahassee is run
Who runs Tallahassee, 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 Tallahassee's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Tallahassee
A city manager appointed by the commission oversees most of the city's administration. The five-member commission, including the elected mayor, adopts the budget and appoints the city manager, city attorney, treasurer-clerk and inspector general.
What they are paid
- 20 weeks' salary and benefits as severance
- $1,000 a month car allowance, rising $50 each year
- City pays the yearly maximum into a 457 retirement account
- Covered by the regular city pension plan
- Removal needs a two-thirds vote of the commission
- Five-year term to Sept. 30, 2031, then automatic two-year renewals
- Same medical insurance, flex bucks, 401(k) and pension benefits as other city employees
- A supplement and a car allowance
Tallahassee city staff
3,065 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 546, Fire 327. FY2026-27. All city departments, including 330 in the electric and gas utility. Up 20 police officer positions from FY2026. City of Tallahassee · Sep 9, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database. We did not find a city list of pay by employee on its transparency pages. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Tallahassee 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 general fund is balanced at $236.7 million with the tax rate kept at 4.4072 mills, which leaves an expected $2.5 million surplus for reserves. The city says Amendment 3 on the November 2026 ballot would cut its revenue by about $29 million over the next two years. City of Tallahassee · Sep 9, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $1.4M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: The Deficiencies Fund, an emergency reserve kept as committed general fund balance, has a target of up to two months of general government operating spending. City of Tallahassee · May 20, 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 (balance of the budget)$83.6M · 35%
- Utility transfers$60M · 25%
- Public service taxes$31.9M · 13%
- Intergovernmental revenue$24.5M · 10%
- Other (charges for services, permits, fines, overhead, rent and other)$36.7M · 16%
Goes to (FY2026-27 (projection in the FY26 five-year plan))
- Personnel (pay, pensions, health)$129M · 55%
- Transfers (debt service, capital, other funds)$33.9M · 15%
- Internal services (technology, fleet, HR, accounting)$28.7M · 12%
- Contributions to other funds and units$22.1M · 9%
- Operating expenses$13.8M · 6%
- Utilities and other expenses$5.6M · 2%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Tallahassee homeowner paid for the 2025 tax year, about 23 cents went to the city. Leon County, including its EMS levy, took about 47 cents and the school board about 28 cents. The city kept its rate at 4.4072 mills for FY2026-27.
23¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Tallahassee
- City of Tallahassee4.4072 · 23%
- Leon County8.3144 · 43%
- Leon County EMS0.75 · 4%
- Leon County schools (state-required)3.118 · 16%
- Leon County schools (capital outlay)1.5 · 8%
- Leon County schools (discretionary)0.748 · 4%
- Children's Services Council of Leon0.3477 · 2%
- Northwest Florida Water Management District0.0207 · <1%
- Total (mills)19.206
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the City of Tallahassee (Leon County). Florida Department of Revenue · Oct 7, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Tallahassee is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityTallahassee Police DepartmentCity of Tallahassee · May 20, 2026
- FireThe cityTallahassee Fire DepartmentCity of Tallahassee · Oct 23, 2025
- ElectricityThe cityCity of Tallahassee Electric UtilityServes over 128,000 customers in a 221-square-mile territoryCity of Tallahassee
- Natural gasThe cityCity of Tallahassee Gas UtilityCity of Tallahassee · May 20, 2026
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of Tallahassee Underground UtilitiesCity of Tallahassee · May 20, 2026
- Trash collectionThe cityCity of Tallahassee Solid WasteCity of Tallahassee · May 20, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity of TallahasseeCity of Tallahassee · May 20, 2026
- Streets and sidewalksThe cityCity of TallahasseeCity of Tallahassee · May 20, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Tallahassee Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood AffairsCity of Tallahassee · May 20, 2026
- BusesThe cityStarMetro (City of Tallahassee)City of Tallahassee · May 20, 2026
- AirportThe cityTallahassee International Airport (City of Tallahassee)City of Tallahassee · May 20, 2026
- Police and emergency dispatchAnother agencyConsolidated Dispatch Agency (City of Tallahassee, Leon County and the Leon County Sheriff)The city paid $8.5 million toward it in FY2025City of Tallahassee · May 20, 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 | Fort LauderdaleFL | TallahasseeFL | Cape CoralFL | HialeahFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 192,338 | 205,623 | 222,862 | 232,243 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $325,000 | $317,000 | $314,205 | $205,000 |
| Council member pay | Not current (2023) | $102,723 | Not confirmed | $44,000 |
| General fund per resident | $2,915 | $1,151 | $1,269 | $1,086 |
| Debt per resident | $7,537 | $4,803 | $4,912 | $425 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,252 | $631 | $429 | $1,472 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 16.0 | 14.9 | 9.4 | 5.6 |
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). Tallahassee pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Tallahassee 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 report dated May 20, 2026, within the nine months state law allows, with an unmodified opinion from Forvis Mazars; posted on the Florida Auditor General site. Florida Auditor General
- Partly: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2027 budget resolution is in the Sept. 23, 2026 meeting packet. The city's budget pages still show the FY2026 budget. City of Tallahassee
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe full City Manager Employment Agreement is in the Sept. 9, 2026 commission meeting packet, item 10.1. City of Tallahassee
- No: Council votes recorded member by member onlineThe city's CivicClerk portal posts agendas and packets for September 2026 meetings; we found no posted minutes showing each member's vote. City of Tallahassee
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document Florida Legislature EDR · Sep 1, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe city's financial transparency pages list budgets, annual reports and OpenGov, but no pay list by employee. City of Tallahassee
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2027 budget keeps the tax rate at 4.4072 mills and expects a $2.5 million surplus for reserves. If Amendment 3 passes and revenue falls about $29 million over two years, which services would change first?
- The FY2025 general fund spent $39.6 million more than it took in before transfers and relied on $58.0 million in transfers in. How long can that balance hold if property tax revenue falls?
- City utilities contribute $59.8 million to the FY2027 general fund. How is that amount set, and how does it affect utility rates?
- The new city manager's contract pays $317,000 a year and can be ended only by a two-thirds commission vote. What goals will the commission use in her yearly evaluation?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The commission held a budget retreat on Jan. 14, 2026 and budget workshops on Feb. 18, April 15 and June 10, then public hearings on Sept. 9 and Sept. 23, 2026, when it adopted the FY2027 budget and tax rate. See who is running for council
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