How Albany is run
Who runs Albany, 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 Albany's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Albany
The council appoints a city manager, who is the chief executive and runs the staff and departments day to day. The six councilors, two from each ward, set policy and adopt the budget; the mayor chairs the council and votes only to break a tie.
What they are paid
- City pays 10% of base salary into a 401(a) deferred compensation plan.
- $4,000 a year to a health savings or reimbursement account; no car or cell phone stipend.
- Severance without cause: six months' salary plus one month per year of service, up to 12 months.
- City pays the 6% PERS employee contribution (pick-up).
- $50 a month internet stipend for the mayor and each councilor.
Albany city staff
409 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2025 audited report. City of Albany · Sep 21, 2026
The city posts salary schedules for each employee group. We found no city-published list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Albany 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 budget message says the General Fund remains structurally unbalanced over the ten-year period because property tax revenue lags inflation. Keeping current staffing and programs alone would leave a $2.2M General Fund deficit. City of Albany · Jun 11, 2025
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $18.1M (2025-06-30). City of Albany · Sep 21, 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 BN2025-27 (two years).
Comes from
- Property taxes$53.3M · 44%
- Franchise and privilege taxes$15.1M · 12%
- Transfers in (mostly the public safety levy)$12.3M · 10%
- Intergovernmental$12.2M · 10%
- Charges for services$11.2M · 9%
- Beginning fund balance$9.3M · 8%
- Licenses and fees$6.9M · 6%
- Other (fines, investment earnings)$2.1M · 2%
Goes to (BN2025-27 (two years))
- Fire and emergency services$42M · 34%
- Police$41.9M · 34%
- Administration$11.5M · 9%
- Library$8.1M · 7%
- Public safety levy: fire$5.9M · 5%
- Public safety levy: police$5M · 4%
- Planning$4.6M · 4%
- Other (municipal court, code enforcement, fire and life safety)$3.4M · 3%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
About 37% of the rate goes to the city ($7.34 of $19.92 per $1,000), plus $1.13 for urban renewal. Rates for the Benton County side of Albany differ. Oregon's Measure 5 and Measure 50 limits can lower what an owner pays.
37¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Albany
- Greater Albany Public Schools6.29 · 32%
- City of Albany (permanent rate)5.95 · 30%
- Linn County4.14 · 21%
- City of Albany (public safety local option levy)1.15 · 6%
- Albany urban renewal (ARA)1.13 · 6%
- Linn-Benton Community College0.67 · 3%
- Linn Benton Lincoln ESD0.28 · 1%
- City of Albany (public safety bonds)0.24 · 1%
- 4H Extension District0.06 · <1%
- Total ($ per $1,000 of assessed value)19.92
FY2023-24 rates for property in the city of Albany (Linn County side). City of Albany · Mar 4, 2026
See what a Albany home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Albany is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityAlbany Police DepartmentCity of Albany
- Fire protectionThe cityAlbany Fire DepartmentCity of Albany
- WaterThe cityCity of Albany Public WorksCity of Albany
- Trash and recyclingPrivate companyRepublic ServicesCity of Albany
- LibraryThe cityAlbany Public Library (city department)City of Albany
- Parks and recreationThe cityAlbany Parks & RecreationCity of Albany
- StreetsThe cityCity of AlbanyCity of Albany
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 | AlbanyOR | TigardOR | SpringfieldOR | CorvallisOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 56,894 | 57,929 | 61,431 | 61,499 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $237,770 | $220,000 | Not confirmed | $233,198 |
| Council member pay | $1,560 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | No salary |
| General fund per resident | $2,151 | $841 | $1,039 | $3,065 |
| Debt per resident | $1,329 | $2,108 | $475 | $283 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,184 | $255 | $1,043 | $1,126 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 7.2 | 6.1 | 7.2 | 8.7 |
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).
What Albany 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 Albany
- Partly: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Albany
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city elections page states the monthly stipends for the mayor and councilors. City of Albany
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund spent $50.7 million in FY2024-25 against $49.2 million of revenue before transfers. How long can transfers and reserves cover that gap?
- The budget message says keeping current services alone leaves a $2.2 million General Fund deficit. Which revenues or services will close it?
- The city's share of the Oregon PERS net pension liability was $67.4 million at June 30, 2025. How will rising PERS rates affect police, fire and library budgets?
- The FY2025 audit report is dated September 21, 2026. What will the city do to finish future audits sooner?
The fiscal year starts July 1, and Albany budgets for two years at a time; the current budget runs July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027. The Budget Committee met in May 2025, and the council held the hearing and adopted the budget on June 11, 2025. Oregon law requires adoption by June 30. See who is running for council
Help decide what comes next
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