How Grants Pass is run
Who runs Grants Pass, 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 Grants Pass's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Grants Pass
A city manager hired by the council runs daily operations and appoints the department heads. The council of eight members, two from each of four wards, sets policy, passes ordinances and adopts the budget. The mayor chairs meetings and votes only to break a tie.
City of Grants Pass Charter, Chapters III to V; FY2025 ACFR, Letter of Transmittal
What they are paid
- City pays 8% of salary into deferred compensation
- 10-step salary schedule; a step for an evaluation average of 2.5 or higher
Grants Pass city staff
256 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27 adopted budget (permanent positions). City of Grants Pass · Jun 3, 2026
The city posts salary schedules by job title and bargaining group on its Human Resources page. We found no city-published list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Grants Pass 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 has been budgeted with spending above revenue since 2019, and actual revenues are barely keeping pace with actual operating spending. It warns that filling vacant positions and continuing litigation costs could widen the gap. City of Grants Pass · Jun 3, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $15.7M (2025-06-30). City of Grants Pass · Dec 17, 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 (police and fire)$24.2M · 44%
- Beginning fund balance$15.1M · 27%
- Public safety fees and charges for services$4.3M · 8%
- Franchise fees and utility right-of-way tax$4.3M · 8%
- Grants and intergovernmental (police and fire)$1.6M · 3%
- Other police and fire revenue$1.3M · 2%
- Fees in lieu of franchise$1.1M · 2%
- Other$3.1M · 6%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police (including support and 9-1-1)$27.4M · 50%
- Fire Rescue$12.1M · 22%
- Contingency$8.9M · 16%
- Parks, recreation and aquatics$3.9M · 7%
- Planning$1.6M · 3%
- Other (economic and downtown development, council operations, transfers)$1.2M · 2%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
About 44 cents of each property-tax dollar goes to the city ($5.92 of $13.37 per $1,000). Oregon's Measure 5 and Measure 50 limits can lower what an owner actually pays.
44¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Grants Pass
- City of Grants Pass$4.1335 permanent rate plus a $1.79 public safety local option levy.5.92 · 44%
- Grants Pass School District No. 74.52 · 34%
- Josephine County1.63 · 12%
- Rogue Community College0.56 · 4%
- Josephine Community Library District0.39 · 3%
- Education Service District0.35 · 3%
- Total ($ per $1,000 of assessed value)13.37
FY2024-25 rates for property in the city of Grants Pass (Josephine County). City of Grants Pass · Dec 17, 2025
See what a Grants Pass home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Grants Pass is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityGrants Pass Police DepartmentCity of Grants Pass · Dec 17, 2025
- Fire and rescueThe cityGrants Pass Fire RescueCity of Grants Pass · Dec 17, 2025
- 9-1-1 dispatchThe cityCity of Grants Pass Support & 9-1-1 Communications DivisionAlso dispatches for seven outside agencies.City of Grants Pass · Jun 3, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Grants Pass water utilityCity of Grants Pass · Dec 17, 2025
- WastewaterThe cityCity of Grants Pass wastewater utilityCity of Grants Pass · Dec 17, 2025
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Grants Pass stormwater utilityCity of Grants Pass · Dec 17, 2025
- Street maintenanceThe cityCity of Grants Pass (Transportation Fund)City of Grants Pass · Dec 17, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Grants PassCity of Grants Pass · Dec 17, 2025
- Trash collectionContractorRepublic Services and Southern Oregon Sanitation (franchise haulers)City of Grants Pass · Jun 3, 2026
- Public schoolsSeparate districtGrants Pass School District #7City of Grants Pass · Jun 3, 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 | RedmondOR | KeizerOR | Grants PassOR | Lake OswegoOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 38,547 | 39,140 | 39,239 | 39,722 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $218,397 | $182,915 | $189,278 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | No salary | No salary | Not current (2015) |
| General fund per resident | $1,353 | $452 | $1,401 | $5,209 |
| Debt per resident | $2,648 | $188 | $542 | $4,954 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $898 | $538 | $871 | $1,568 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 7.0 | 2.7 | 6.5 | 10.3 |
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). Redmond pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Grants Pass publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Audited financial report filed on time City of Grants Pass
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe adopted FY2027 operating and capital budget is posted as a PDF on the city website. City of Grants Pass
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list the ayes and nays on each motion by name. City of Grants Pass
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Grants Pass
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city charter says the Mayor and Council Members receive no pay for their services. City of Grants Pass Charter, Chapter III
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Grants Pass
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund spent $0.6 million more than it took in before transfers in FY2024-25. How will the FY2026-27 budget, with its $8.85 million contingency, keep revenue in line with spending?
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget of $55.0 million includes $27.4 million for police and $12.1 million for fire rescue. How will those costs be paid for in future years?
- The city's share of the Oregon PERS net pension liability was $34.2 million on June 30, 2025. How will rising PERS rates affect the general fund?
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