How Lebanon is run
Who runs Lebanon, 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 Lebanon's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Lebanon
Lebanon has a council-manager government. The city manager, appointed by the council, runs daily operations. Six councilors, two from each of three wards, set policy; the mayor chairs meetings and votes only to break a tie.
What they are paid
Lebanon city staff
118 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27 adopted budget. City of Lebanon
The city posts salary schedules by bargaining group. It does not publish pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Lebanon 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 says the general fund has run a structural deficit since FY2021. Its five-year forecast has ending fund balance falling from about $5.5 million (FY2026) to $5.1 million, with a growing deficit in FY2030 and FY2031 that will need correction. City of Lebanon
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $4.3M (2024-06-30). City of Lebanon · Aug 14, 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
- Property taxes$7.7M · 46%
- Franchise fees$3.7M · 22%
- Fees (mostly the City Services Fee)$2.3M · 14%
- Intergovernmental$704,983 · 4%
- Fines and forfeitures$341,720 · 2%
- Other (interest, pass-through, taxes, misc.)$1.1M · 6%
- Drawn from fund balance$1M · 6%
Goes to (FY2026-27 adopted)
- Police$8.1M · 48%
- Transfers to other funds$3M · 18%
- Non-departmental materials and services$1.5M · 9%
- Contingency$1.1M · 6%
- Parks$779,315 · 5%
- Library$727,773 · 4%
- Senior services$540,541 · 3%
- Other (finance, development services, pass-through, capital)$1.1M · 7%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
About 27% of the rate goes to the city ($5.67 of $20.88 per $1,000), plus $1.67 for urban renewal. The audit table prints a total of $20.9451 because its special-district subtotal does not match the listed lines. Oregon's Measure 5 and Measure 50 limits can lower what an owner pays.
27¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Lebanon
- Lebanon Community School District No. 9 (incl. bond)5.9599 · 29%
- City of Lebanon (operating)4.5952 · 22%
- Linn County (incl. local option levy)4.1136 · 20%
- Lebanon Rural Fire District2.0112 · 10%
- Lebanon urban renewal districts1.6651 · 8%
- City of Lebanon (G.O. bonds)1.0746 · 5%
- Linn-Benton Community College (incl. bond)0.661 · 3%
- Lebanon Aquatic District0.3166 · 2%
- Linn-Benton ESD0.2715 · 1%
- 4H Extension District0.2137 · 1%
- Total ($ per $1,000 of assessed value)20.8824
FY2023-24 rates for property in the city of Lebanon (Linn County). City of Lebanon · Aug 14, 2025
See what a Lebanon home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Lebanon is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityLebanon Police DepartmentThe department provides 24/7 patrol, investigations and traffic enforcement.City of Lebanon
- Fire and ambulanceSeparate districtLebanon Fire DistrictA separate district with its own property tax rate; it covers 134 square miles for fire and 419 square miles for ambulance.Lebanon Fire District
- SewerThe cityCity of Lebanon wastewater utilityCity of Lebanon
- Storm drainageThe cityCity of Lebanon storm drainage utilityCity of Lebanon
- Trash and recyclingContractorRepublic ServicesCity of Lebanon
- StreetsThe cityCity of Lebanon Streets DivisionCity of Lebanon
- ParksThe cityCity of Lebanon Parks Division83 acres of developed parks and 50 miles of trails.City of Lebanon
- LibraryThe cityLebanon Public Library (city)City of Lebanon
- Senior centerThe cityLebanon Senior Center (city)City of Lebanon
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 | Central PointOR | LebanonOR | AshlandOR | Klamath FallsOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 19,139 | 20,267 | 20,889 | 22,111 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $226,455 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $2,700 | Not current (2023) | $600 |
| General fund per resident | $1,686 | $830 | $2,276 | $10,153 |
| Debt per resident | $570 | $2,546 | $1,166 | $2,465 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $607 | $715 | $1,754 | $801 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.8 | 5.8 | 13.0 | 7.2 |
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). Central Point and Lebanon and Klamath Falls pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Lebanon publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Audited financial report filed on timeThe latest audit posted covers the year ended June 30, 2024. The auditor's report is dated August 14, 2025; the city's own policy says six months. City of Lebanon
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Lebanon
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineMinutes record the council approving Ron Whitlatch's contract on Dec. 11, 2024. We did not find the contract in the posted packet or on the website. City of Lebanon
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlinePosted council minutes list each member's vote by name. City of Lebanon
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineAgendas, minutes and meeting video are posted online, and meetings are also on YouTube. City of Lebanon
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe candidate information page states the monthly stipends for councilors and the mayor. City of Lebanon
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Lebanon
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget draws $1,005,591 from fund balance, and the budget forecast shows a growing deficit in FY2030 and FY2031. What changes would close that gap?
- Fees, mostly the City Services Fee, are budgeted at $2,335,590 for FY2026-27. Does the council plan to keep the fee in place, or to replace it?
- The latest posted audit covers the year ended June 30, 2024, and its auditor's report is dated August 14, 2025. City policy calls for filing within six months. When will the FY2025 audit be filed?
- Lebanon's share of the state pension liability was $14,496,043 in the FY2024 audit. How will rising PERS rates be covered in future budgets?
Help decide what comes next
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