How Happy Valley is run
Who runs Happy Valley, 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 Happy Valley's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Happy Valley
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
- City pays 10% of base salary into his deferred compensation account
- Oregon PERS retirement contributions at the same rate as other management staff
- Car allowance of $420 a month
- 240 hours of vacation a year
- Twelve months' salary as severance if the city fires him without cause
Happy Valley city staff
77 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27 adopted budget. City of Happy Valley · Jun 16, 2026
The count excludes the 17 contracted Clackamas County sheriff's personnel who police the city. The budget lists positions by department; we found no list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Happy Valley 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 city's five-year projection shows a General Fund operating deficit in two of the five years, largest in year one because of a $2 million transfer to the Facility Capital Projects Fund. Without those discretionary transfers, the fund shows an operating surplus in all years. The FY2026-27 budget plans a $1.46M General Fund operating shortfall. City of Happy Valley · Jun 16, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $5.4M (2025-06-30). City of Happy Valley · Dec 26, 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 adopted.
Comes from
- Beginning fund balance$4.7M · 29%
- Right-of-way use fees from utilities$2.9M · 18%
- Property taxes$2.8M · 17%
- Transfers from other funds$1.6M · 10%
- Building fees$800,000 · 5%
- State shared revenue$790,000 · 5%
- Traffic fines$650,000 · 4%
- Other (urban renewal admin fee, user fees, planning, engineering, court, intergovernmental, misc.)$2.1M · 13%
Goes to (FY2026-27 adopted)
- Administration$4.6M · 28%
- Economic and Community Development$3.6M · 22%
- Contingency$3.2M · 20%
- Transfers to other funds$2.1M · 13%
- Community Services and Public Safety$1.9M · 12%
- Public Works$989,500 · 6%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Happy Valley is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe countyClackamas CountyBy contract, funded by a voter-approved local option levy.City of Happy Valley · Dec 26, 2025
- Fire and emergency servicesSeparate districtClackamas Fire DistrictCity of Happy Valley · Dec 26, 2025
- LibraryThe cityCity of Happy ValleyCity of Happy Valley · Dec 26, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Happy ValleyCity of Happy Valley · Dec 26, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Happy ValleyCity of Happy Valley · Dec 26, 2025
- Municipal courtThe cityCity of Happy ValleyCity of Happy Valley · Dec 26, 2025
- Planning, building permits and code enforcementThe cityCity of Happy ValleyCity of Happy Valley · Dec 26, 2025
- WaterSeparate districtSeparate districts overlaying the cityCity of Happy Valley · Jun 16, 2026
- SchoolsSeparate districtSeparate school districts overlaying the cityCity of Happy Valley · Jun 16, 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 | Forest GroveOR | WilsonvilleOR | TualatinOR | Happy ValleyOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 27,252 | 27,833 | 28,139 | 28,916 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $195,168 | $216,000 | $224,211 | $195,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $2,269 | $1,768 | $1,724 | $568 |
| Debt per resident | $295 | $1,347 | $1,050 | $441 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,318 | $698 | $936 | $340 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 7.1 | 7.3 | 5.9 | 2.7 |
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). Wilsonville and Happy Valley pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Happy Valley 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 Happy Valley · Jun 16, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Happy Valley · Jul 7, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list each member's vote by name. City of Happy Valley
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city says the council serves on a voluntary basis. We found no council pay figure. City of Happy Valley
- No: Employee pay publishedThe adopted budget lists positions and FTE by department but no pay ranges. We found no list of pay by employee. City of Happy Valley · Jun 16, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund spent $2.0 million more than it took in during FY2024-25, including $3.2 million of capital outlay, and the FY2026-27 budget plans a $1.46 million operating shortfall. How long should the city keep moving General Fund money into the Facility Capital Projects Fund?
- The FY2026-27 budget counts on $800,000 of building fees and $2,935,000 of right-of-way fees from utilities. Which services would change if development stays slow?
- The city owed $12.8 million on full faith and credit obligations for urban renewal land on June 30, 2025. If urban renewal revenue falls short, how would the General Fund cover the payments?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $5.4 million on June 30, 2025, and the city's share of the Oregon PERS pension liability was $9.8 million. How much of the reserves should be set aside for rising PERS rates?
The fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30. The Budget Committee met on May 5, 2026. The council held its public hearing and adopted the FY2026-27 budget on June 16, 2026. See who is running for council
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