How Weston is run
Who runs Weston, 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 Weston's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Weston
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
- 20 weeks of base pay and 20 weeks of health insurance if fired without cause
- $750 a month car allowance
- City puts 18% of his salary into a 401(a) retirement account
- Term life insurance equal to one year's salary
Weston city staff
352 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police protection (BSO contract) 114, Fire protection and prevention (BSO contract) 79, Emergency medical services (BSO contract) 66, Community services (contract staff) 48, Administrative services (contract staff) 19, City management (city employees) 12, Information technology (contract staff) 7, City Commission 5, Building plan review and inspection (contract staff) 2. FY2025. City of Weston · Mar 31, 2026
Weston has about a dozen city employees. Police, fire, EMS and most other staff work for the Broward Sheriff's Office or private firms. The budget shows salary totals by office, not each person's pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Weston 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: $43.9M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Weston keeps most general fund savings in committed reserves. On Sept. 30, 2025 these held a $59.8 million disaster reserve, a $12.8 million credit reserve (at least 20% of non-capital spending), a $9.7 million continuing operations reserve and a $5.3 million infrastructure reserve. Unassigned money is used for economic downturns. City of Weston · Mar 31, 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$45.6M · 57%
- Franchise fees (electric, solid waste, gas)$8.7M · 11%
- State shared revenue (half-cent sales tax, revenue sharing)$6.9M · 9%
- Utility taxes (electric, gas)$6.8M · 9%
- Charges for services (EMS transport, recreation)$3.3M · 4%
- Communications services tax$2.1M · 3%
- Other (miscellaneous incl. school resource officer repayments, interest, transfer from grants fund, business tax, fines)$6.2M · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety (BSO police and EMS contracts, crossing guards)$44.6M · 56%
- Parks and recreation$12.1M · 15%
- General government$10.5M · 13%
- Transfers to capital projects and debt service$7.7M · 10%
- Comprehensive planning$2.1M · 3%
- Reserves set aside$1.9M · 2%
- Capital outlay$1.2M · 2%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Weston homeowner pays in this table, about 20 cents goes to the city. Part of Weston lies in the South Broward Hospital District instead, which levies 0.0805 mills, for a total of 16.4077. Fire protection, trash pickup and district services are billed as separate assessments that are not in this table.
20¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Weston
- Broward County School Board (operating)6.294 · 36%
- Broward County5.6628 · 32%
- City of Weston (operating)3.5046 · 20%
- North Broward Hospital District1.2391 · 7%
- Children's Services Council0.45 · 3%
- 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)17.5663
2026 tax year (FY2026-27) rates for a home in the City of Weston, north hospital district (Broward County). Broward County Property Appraiser · Oct 1, 2026
See what a Weston home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Weston is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe countyBroward Sheriff's Office (city contract)City of Weston · Mar 31, 2026
- Fire and EMSThe countyBroward Sheriff's Office (city contract)The city paid $37.3 million in FY2025. The contract runs month to month while a new contract is completed.City of Weston · Mar 31, 2026
- Water and sewerAnother agencyCity of Sunrise, for the city's Indian Trace Development District utilityCity of Weston · Mar 31, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorRepublic Services (city contract)Contract runs to March 31, 2029.City of Weston · Mar 31, 2026
- Building permits and inspectionsContractorCAP Government (city contract)City of Weston · Mar 31, 2026
- Technology and administrative servicesContractorMunicipal Technologies (city contract)City of Weston · Mar 31, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Weston Parks and Recreation (contract staff)City of Weston · Sep 28, 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 Weston 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 timeThe FY2025 audited report, dated March 31, 2026 with an unmodified opinion, is on the Florida Auditor General site. City of Weston · Mar 31, 2026
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2027 adopted budgets are posted on the city's budget page. City of Weston · Sep 28, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineHis 2019 employment agreement and salary amendments are attached to commission agenda packets on the city website. City of Weston · Oct 16, 2023
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes record roll call votes by name, e.g. the 5-0 vote on the city manager's pay on Oct. 20, 2025. City of Weston · Oct 20, 2025
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city's election page states the mayor's and each commissioner's yearly pay. City of Weston
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget shows salary totals by office, not each employee's pay. Florida has no statewide public pay database. City of Weston · Sep 28, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $43,859,096 on Sept. 30, 2025, on top of a $59.8 million disaster reserve. What level of unassigned reserves does the commission consider enough?
- The police and fire contracts with the Broward Sheriff's Office have run month to month since their terms ended on Sept. 30, 2025. When will the commission vote on new contracts?
- Public safety is $44,627,300 of the FY2026-27 general fund. What limits on yearly cost increases will the new BSO contracts include?
The fiscal year starts October 1. The city manager proposed the FY2026-27 budget on July 24, 2026. The commission held public hearings on September 14 and September 28, 2026, and adopted the budget and tax rate at the second hearing. See who is running for council
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