How Saco is run
Who runs Saco, 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 Saco's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Saco
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
Saco city staff
212 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 58, Fire and ambulance 51, Public works 41, Parks and recreation 18. FY2026-27 proposed budget (general fund full-time positions). City of Saco, Maine · Mar 30, 2026
The budget lists positions by department. We found no employee pay list or salary schedule on the city website. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Saco 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 Administrator proposed an $88.2 million gross general fund budget, up 9.6 percent, with no change in the $14.20 tax rate. State revenue sharing is projected at $3.7 million, about $1 million less than the year before. We found no multi-year forecast. City of Saco, Maine · Mar 30, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $15.8M (2024-06-30). The city's own target: Council policy keeps unassigned fund balance between 8.33% (one month) and 16.67% of the next year's general fund budget. Any amount above 16.67% is available for council appropriation. City of Saco, Maine · Oct 1, 2025
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 (net to be raised)$25.9M · 59%
- Other local revenues$14.4M · 33%
- State revenue sharing$3.7M · 8%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Fringe benefits and payroll contingency$8.7M · 20%
- Police$6.8M · 15%
- Public works$6.6M · 15%
- Fire and ambulance$5.8M · 13%
- Capital outlay$3.1M · 7%
- Parks and recreation$2.6M · 6%
- Debt service$2.4M · 5%
- Other (administration, supported entities, insurance and other)$8M · 18%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Saco is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySaco Police Department
- Fire and EMSThe citySaco Fire DepartmentIt provides basic and advanced EMS.
- SewerThe cityWater Resource Recovery Department (WRRD)It is funded mainly by user fees.
- Trash and recyclingThe citySaco Public WorksCurbside pickup is done under a collection contract.
- StreetsThe citySaco Public Works
- Parks and recreationThe citySaco Parks and Recreation Department
- High schoolPrivate companyThornton Academy, a private high school
- LibraryPrivate companyDyer Library AssociationThe city funds most of the library's expenses.
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 | AugustaME | SacoME | SanfordME | PortlandME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 19,155 | 21,159 | 22,663 | 69,911 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $240,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not current (2023) |
| General fund per resident | $4,792 | $2,079 | $1,880 | $3,988 |
| Debt per resident | $2,866 | $1,269 | $4,956 | $6,059 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $496 | $263 | $502 | $591 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 10.0 | — | 21.3 |
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).
What Saco publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Audited financial report filed on timeThe FY2023-24 audit is dated October 1, 2025, 15 months after year end. We found no FY2024-25 audit posted. City of Saco, Maine · Oct 1, 2025
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no contract for City Administrator Ryan Pelletier; the October 2025 appointment item has no pay terms. City of Saco, Maine · Oct 6, 2025
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget states $45,000 for elected officials in total, not each member's pay. City of Saco, Maine · Mar 30, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedWe found no employee pay list or salary schedule on the city's finance pages. City of Saco, Maine · Oct 10, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned reserves were $15.8 million on June 30, 2024, above the council's 16.67% policy ceiling. How will the council use the amount above the ceiling?
- State revenue sharing is projected at $3.7 million for FY2026-27, about $1 million less than the year before. How will the city cover that gap in later years?
- The latest posted audit covers FY2023-24 and is dated October 1, 2025. When will the FY2024-25 audit be published?
- The council confirmed City Administrator Ryan Pelletier in October 2025 for a three-year term. Will the city post his contract and pay?
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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