How Henderson is run
Who runs Henderson, 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 Henderson's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Henderson
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
- $750 a month vehicle allowance
- Retention bonuses every six months, from $7,500 in year 1 to $12,500 in year 3
- $10,000 city contributions to a 457(b) retirement account
- One year of base salary as severance if fired without cause in years 1 or 2
- Life insurance equal to two times base salary
- Three-year term ending January 22, 2028
Henderson city staff
2,564 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (general fund) 575, Fire (general fund) 357. FY2026-27 adopted budget (full-time employees). City of Henderson · May 19, 2026
The budget lists full-time positions by department. We found no city-published list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Henderson 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 budget plans general fund spending of $420.8M against revenue of $420.1M. The general fund balance is projected to fall from $76.1M on June 30, 2025 to $51.5M a year later and $49.2M by June 30, 2027. The city says that is 12% of budgeted revenue and adequate for cash flow. City of Henderson · May 19, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $47.9M (2025-06-30). City of Henderson · Dec 12, 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, mostly sales tax)$176M · 42%
- Property tax$128M · 30%
- Franchise fees$44.9M · 11%
- Charges for services$38.3M · 9%
- Licenses and permits$19.8M · 5%
- Miscellaneous (interest, rents, other)$6.2M · 1%
- Other (county shares, payments in lieu of taxes, fines)$7.1M · 2%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety (police, fire, EMS)$253M · 60%
- General government$78.8M · 19%
- Culture and recreation$58.2M · 14%
- Judicial (municipal court)$16.9M · 4%
- Public works$10.1M · 2%
- Community support$3.8M · 1%
- Other (debt service)$194,669 · 0%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
About 26 cents of each property-tax dollar goes to the city ($0.7708 of $2.9613 per $100 of assessed value), including voter-approved overrides and a debt rate. Nevada caps yearly increases in each owner's tax, so actual bills can be lower.
26¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Henderson
- State of Nevada0.17 · 6%
- Clark County0.6541 · 22%
- Clark County School District1.3034 · 44%
- City of Henderson0.7708 · 26%
- Henderson Library District0.063 · 2%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)2.9613
FY2026-27 rates for a home in the city of Henderson (Clark County). City of Henderson · May 19, 2026
See what a Henderson home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Henderson is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityHenderson Police Department
- FireThe cityHenderson Fire Department
- Emergency medical response and ambulanceThe cityHenderson Fire Department
- WaterThe cityCity Department of Utility Services
- SewerThe cityCity Department of Utility Services
- StreetsThe cityCity Public Works
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity Parks and Recreation
- SchoolsSeparate districtClark County School District
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 | RenoNV | North Las VegasNV | HendersonNV | Las VegasNV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 283,621 | 296,653 | 353,289 | 679,817 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $368,728 | $322,000 | $310,000 | $360,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,182 | $930 | $1,191 | $1,169 |
| Debt per resident | $1,645 | $1,125 | $1,284 | $775 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,267 | $1,083 | $1,539 | $886 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.3 | 6.6 | 7.3 | 5.7 |
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). Las Vegas pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Henderson publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Henderson · Dec 3, 2024
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list roll call votes by name, e.g. the manager's contract passed 4-0 on December 3, 2024. City of Henderson · Dec 3, 2024
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Henderson · Dec 3, 2024
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city charter says the council fixes the salary. We found no readable city document stating the amount. Henderson City Charter (Nevada Legislature)
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget lists full-time positions by department but not pay. We found no city list of pay by employee. City of Henderson · May 19, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund balance is projected to fall from $76.1M on June 30, 2025 to $49.2M by June 30, 2027. What level does the council want to hold it at after FY2026-27?
- The city's share of Nevada PERS's net pension liability was $543.8M on June 30, 2025. How much will employer pension contributions rise in the coming years?
- Consolidated tax, mostly sales tax, is $176.1M of $420.1M in budgeted general fund revenue for FY2026-27. What is the plan if sales tax keeps slowing?
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