How Tamarac is run
Who runs Tamarac, 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 Tamarac's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Tamarac
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
Tamarac city staff
467 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2025. City of Tamarac · Jun 3, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database, and we found no city-published list of pay by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Tamarac 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: $36.5M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Keep an unrestricted general fund balance of at least two months of yearly spending (16.67%), including transfers out. Separate set-asides include a $3 million disaster reserve and a $5 million economic development reserve. The city meets this target. City of Tamarac · Jun 3, 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
- Taxes (property, utility and other)$58.9M · 58%
- Intergovernmental (state and county shared revenue)$12.6M · 12%
- From savings (fund balance)$10.6M · 10%
- Other sources (transfers in)$9M · 9%
- Licenses and permits$6.1M · 6%
- Miscellaneous$2.7M · 3%
- Charges for services$1.4M · 1%
- Fines and forfeitures$547,387 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police (Broward Sheriff's Office contract)$27.3M · 27%
- Non-departmental (transfers to fire rescue and other funds, citywide costs)$26.3M · 26%
- Public works$15.3M · 15%
- Parks and recreation$9.3M · 9%
- Information technology$4.9M · 5%
- Financial services$4.7M · 5%
- Community development$4M · 4%
- Other (city manager, commission, clerk, attorney, human resources, grants)$10.2M · 10%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Tamarac homeowner pays, about 33 cents goes to the city. The city levies no debt rate. Fire rescue is mostly paid by a separate fire assessment on the tax bill, not by this rate.
33¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Tamarac
- City of Tamarac (operating)7 · 33%
- Broward County School Board (operating)6.294 · 30%
- Broward County5.6628 · 27%
- North Broward Hospital District1.2391 · 6%
- 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)21.0617
2026 tax year (FY2026-27) rates for a home in the city of Tamarac (Broward County). Broward County Property Appraiser · Oct 1, 2026
See what a Tamarac home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Tamarac 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)City of Tamarac · Jun 3, 2026
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of Tamarac UtilitiesCity of Tamarac · Jun 3, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity of TamaracCity of Tamarac · Jun 3, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Tamarac Parks and RecreationCity of Tamarac · Sep 23, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Tamarac Public WorksCity of Tamarac · Jun 3, 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 Tamarac publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each commissioner's vote by name, e.g. the 3-2 vote adopting the FY2027 budget on Sept. 23, 2026. City of Tamarac · Sep 23, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's Granicus page posts agendas, packets, minutes and meeting video. City of Tamarac
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe charter says commission pay is set in the budget. We found no readable document stating the amount. City of Tamarac · Mar 17, 2022
- No: Employee pay publishedWe found no pay list by position on the city's budget and finance pages. Florida has no statewide database. City of Tamarac
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2027 general fund budget as presented drew $10.6 million from savings before the Sept. 23 cut. How much of that draw remains after the $2,669,318 reduction?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $36.5 million on Sept. 30, 2025, which the city says exceeds its two-month policy. What is the plan for the amount above the minimum?
- Police cost $27.3 million in the FY2027 general fund, the largest single line, under the Broward Sheriff's Office contract. How is that contract's yearly increase reviewed?
- The commission approved the city manager's contract in January 2023, but the contract is not posted online. Will the city post it and his current pay?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The city manager delivered the FY2027 proposed budget on June 18, 2026, the commission held a budget workshop June 22, set a preliminary tax rate July 8, and held hearings Sept. 14 and Sept. 23, 2026, when the budget was adopted 3-2. See who is running for council
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