How Clifton is run
Who runs Clifton, 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 Clifton's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Clifton
A City Manager appointed by the City Council is the city's chief executive and administrative officer and hires city employees. The seven-member council, elected at large, sets policy.
What they are paid
- Waives city medical benefits and is eligible for the $5,000 opt-out payment
- Use of a city-owned vehicle for city business; pays the city $0.15 a mile for personal use
- Appointment conditioned on passing pre-employment testing
Clifton city staff
Neither the 2026 budget nor the 2025 audit states a total head count. Salary ranges are set in the city's salary ordinances; we found no list of individual employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Clifton 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
Unassigned general fund balance: $11.1M (2025-12-31). City of Clifton · Sep 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 2026.
Comes from
- Local purpose property tax$97.6M · 68%
- Local revenues (fees, licenses and other city income)$18.1M · 13%
- State aid$10.2M · 7%
- Fund balance (surplus) used$7.3M · 5%
- Library property tax$5.6M · 4%
- Delinquent taxes$3.5M · 2%
- State and federal grants$997,980 · 1%
Goes to (2026)
- Employee health insurance$26.2M · 18%
- Police$25.7M · 18%
- Fire$17.4M · 12%
- State pension contributions (PFRS and PERS)$14.9M · 10%
- Debt service$7.3M · 5%
- Reserve for uncollected taxes$4.5M · 3%
- Other (public works, garbage collection, library, administration, recreation and others)$47.4M · 33%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Clifton collects one property tax bill and passes most of it on: about half goes to the local schools and about a fifth to Passaic County. The city's own share, including the library and open space, is about 30%.
30¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Clifton
- Clifton Public Schools (local school district)2.947 · 48%
- City of Clifton (local purpose)1.736 · 28%
- Passaic County1.316 · 21%
- Clifton Public Library0.092 · 2%
- Passaic County open space0.028 · <1%
- City of Clifton open space0.01 · <1%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)6.129
2025 tax rates for a property in the City of Clifton (Passaic County). City of Clifton · Mar 17, 2026
See what a Clifton home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Clifton is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityClifton Police DepartmentCity of Clifton · Sep 25, 2026
- FireThe cityClifton Fire DepartmentCity of Clifton · Sep 25, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Clifton Public WorksCity of Clifton · Sep 25, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of CliftonCity of Clifton · Sep 25, 2026
- Public healthThe cityCity of CliftonCity of Clifton · Sep 25, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Clifton Sewer UtilityCity of Clifton · Sep 25, 2026
- Recycling collectionThe cityCity of Clifton Public WorksCity of Clifton · Mar 17, 2026
- Public housingThe cityCity of Clifton Public Housing AgencyCity of Clifton · Sep 25, 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 | PlainfieldNJ | CliftonNJ | TrentonNJ | ElizabethNJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 57,141 | 91,127 | 91,506 | 141,675 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $145,000 | Not confirmed | $202,748 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $58,000 |
| General fund per resident | $2,094 | $1,573 | $3,261 | $2,455 |
| Debt per resident | $898 | $882 | $1,979 | $966 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,506 | $1,158 | $2,113 | $1,828 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | — | — | 9.5 |
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 Clifton publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Clifton
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlinePosted minutes record each roll call vote, naming how the mayor and each council member voted. City of Clifton · May 6, 2025
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no readable document stating each council member's pay. The 2026 budget shows $28,500 of salaries for the council as a whole. City of Clifton · Mar 17, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Clifton · Mar 17, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The 2026 budget's own projection shows the local purpose tax rate rising from 1.806 in 2026 to 2.453 in 2027. What drives that projection, and what is the plan to avoid it?
- Clifton's share of state pension liabilities was $105.5 million in 2025, and the 2026 budget sets $14.9 million of pension contributions. How will those costs fit into future budgets?
- The 2025 audit report is dated September 25, 2026. What would it take to complete the audit sooner after year-end?
Clifton's fiscal year is the calendar year, starting January 1. The 2026 budget was introduced March 17, 2026, and its public hearing was held April 21, 2026. See who is running for council
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