How Carson City is run
Who runs Carson City, 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 Carson City's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Carson City
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
- Car allowance of $3,900 a year, in place of mileage reimbursement
- Cell phone allowance of $960 a year
- If let go without cause: 90 days' notice, or at the Board's choice a lump sum of 90 days' base pay plus PERS contributions
- Up to 40 hours of unused management leave paid out each year
Carson City city staff
769 full-time-equivalent positions, including Public safety 311, General government 160, Utilities 58. FY2026-27 final budget. Carson City · May 21, 2026
The city website refused our requests, so we could not check whether it posts salary schedules or pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Carson City 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 FY2026-27 final budget plans general fund spending and transfers of $128,030,026 against revenue of $122,087,308. The fund balance falls from $20,909,445 to $15,334,267. Carson City · May 21, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $21M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep an unrestricted general fund balance of at least 8.33% of budgeted spending, with a goal of up to 16.6% (two months of spending). Carson City · Nov 21, 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
- Consolidated tax (state-shared sales and other taxes)$46M · 36%
- Property tax$40.5M · 32%
- Charges for services (including landfill fees)$20.7M · 16%
- Licenses, permits and franchise fees$9.6M · 7%
- Drawn from fund balance$5.6M · 4%
- Other intergovernmental revenue$3.3M · 3%
- Other (interest, fines, transfers in)$2.3M · 2%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety$52.9M · 41%
- General government$33.9M · 26%
- Transfers out (mostly capital projects and debt service)$11M · 9%
- Culture and recreation$9.2M · 7%
- Judicial (courts)$8.4M · 7%
- Health$4.1M · 3%
- Sanitation (landfill)$3.8M · 3%
- Other (public works, welfare, contingency)$4.8M · 4%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
About 61 cents of each property-tax dollar goes to Carson City ($2.19 of $3.57 per $100 of assessed value). About a third goes to the Carson City School District.
61¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Carson City
- Carson City2.19 · 61%
- Carson City School District1.18 · 33%
- State of Nevada0.17 · 5%
- Carson Water Subconservancy District0.03 · <1%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)3.57
FY2024-25 rates for a home in Carson City. Carson City · Nov 21, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Carson City is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCarson City Sheriff's OfficeCarson City · Nov 21, 2025
- FireThe cityCarson City Fire DepartmentCarson City · Nov 21, 2025
- AmbulanceThe cityCarson City (ambulance enterprise fund)Carson City · Nov 21, 2025
- WaterThe cityCarson City utilitiesCarson City · Nov 21, 2025
- SewerThe cityCarson City utilitiesCarson City · Nov 21, 2025
- StormwaterThe cityCarson City utilitiesCarson City · Nov 21, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCarson City Public WorksCarson City · Nov 21, 2025
- Public health and welfareThe cityCarson City Health and Human ServicesCarson City · Nov 21, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCarson City Parks and RecreationCarson City · Nov 21, 2025
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 | ElkoNV | MesquiteNV | FernleyNV | Carson CityNV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 21,019 | 24,001 | 26,214 | 58,571 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not current (2023) | $170,000 | Not confirmed | $228,949 |
| Council member pay | $9,636 | Not confirmed | $15,204 | $39,000 |
| General fund per resident | $1,531 | $1,505 | $1,259 | $2,186 |
| Debt per resident | $387 | $408 | $1,750 | $2,260 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,552 | $1,548 | $417 | $2,263 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | — | 4.0 | 13.1 |
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). Fernley pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Carson City publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 final budget is in the May 21, 2026 Board packet. Minutes show the Board approved it that day. Carson City · May 21, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online Carson City · Jun 5, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote: the FY2026-27 budget passed 5-0 on May 21, 2026. Carson City · Jun 18, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe Granicus portal lists agendas, packets and video for Board meetings. Minutes are approved in later packets. Carson City · Oct 10, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentState law sets supervisors' pay at $39,000 for FY2025-26. The charter sets the mayor's pay as a percentage, not a dollar amount. Nevada Revised Statutes 245.043 · Jul 1, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 budget draws the general fund balance down from $20,909,445 to $15,334,267. What is the plan to rebuild it?
- Consolidated tax of $46,012,862 is the largest general fund source. How would the budget change if state-shared sales tax fell?
- The city's share of the state pension plan's unfunded liability was $132,568,322. How are pension costs built into future budgets?
- The City Manager's initial contract term ends June 30, 2027. Will the Board review his performance in a public meeting before then?
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