How Medford is run
Who runs Medford, 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 Medford's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Medford
A city manager appointed by the council handles the direction of city operations and appoints the department heads. The nine-member council, a mayor and eight councilors, sets policy; the mayor presides and votes only to break a tie.
What they are paid
Medford city staff
591 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2024-25 (audited report statistical section). City of Medford · Dec 23, 2025
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 Medford 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.
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $22.2M (2025-06-30). City of Medford · Dec 23, 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 2025-27 biennium.
Comes from
- Property taxes$106M · 51%
- Franchise fees$31.5M · 15%
- Service payments and transfers from other funds$20.6M · 10%
- Use of beginning fund balance$15.9M · 8%
- Intergovernmental$6.3M · 3%
- Fines and forfeitures$5.3M · 3%
- Lodging tax$5M · 2%
- Other$15.8M · 8%
Goes to (2025-27 biennium)
- Personnel services$140M · 68%
- Materials and services$38.4M · 19%
- Transfers$9.9M · 5%
- Contingency$8M · 4%
- Capital improvement projects$4.8M · 2%
- Capital outlay$3.3M · 2%
- Capital renewal projects$1.7M · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
About 35 cents of each property-tax dollar goes to the city ($5.30 of $14.94 per $1,000). These are the rates for levy code area 49-01, which covers 85% of the city's taxable value; Oregon's Measure 5 and Measure 50 limits can lower what an owner actually pays.
35¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Medford
- Medford School District 549C5.5361 · 37%
- City of Medford5.2953 · 35%
- Jackson County2.0757 · 14%
- Rogue Community College0.6353 · 4%
- Jackson County Library District0.6 · 4%
- Education Service District0.3524 · 2%
- Rogue Valley Transit District0.3072 · 2%
- Jackson County Soil and Water0.05 · <1%
- Vector control0.0429 · <1%
- 4H and agricultural extension0.0426 · <1%
- Total ($ per $1,000 of assessed value)14.9375
FY2024-25 rates for property in the city of Medford (Jackson County, levy code area 49-01). City of Medford · Dec 23, 2025
See what a Medford home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Medford is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityMedford Police DepartmentCity of Medford · Dec 23, 2025
- Fire protectionThe cityMedford Fire DepartmentCity of Medford · Dec 23, 2025
- WaterAnother agencyMedford Water CommissionFormed by the city; governed by a board appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Council, which sets water rates.City of Medford · Dec 23, 2025
- Sewer collectionThe cityCity of Medford Public Works (Sewer Utility Fund)City of Medford · Jun 4, 2025
- Wastewater treatmentThe cityCity of Medford Regional Water Reclamation FacilityAlso treats wastewater for valley residents served by Rogue Valley Sewer Services.City of Medford · Jun 4, 2025
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Medford Public Works (Storm Drain Utility Fund)City of Medford · Jun 4, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Medford Public Works (Street Utility Fund)City of Medford · Jun 4, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of MedfordCity of Medford · Dec 23, 2025
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 | MedfordOR | BeavertonOR | BendOR | GreshamOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 86,494 | 97,842 | 107,342 | 111,513 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $269,517 | Not confirmed | $260,000 |
| Council member pay | No salary | Not confirmed | $30,000 | $28,956 |
| General fund per resident | $2,385 | $1,271 | $1,885 | $1,171 |
| Debt per resident | $1,490 | $3,213 | $5,387 | $814 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $893 | $1,283 | $991 | $1,372 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 6.8 | 5.9 | 7.7 | 6.2 |
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). Beaverton pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Medford publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe adopted 2025-27 biennial budget is posted as a PDF on the Budget and Financial Reporting page. City of Medford
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list the roll call on each council bill by name. City of Medford
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineCouncil meeting videos are posted by date on the city website. Agendas, packets and minutes are on the Agendas and Minutes page. City of Medford
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city states that the Mayor and Councilors are volunteers and do not receive a salary. City of Medford
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe city posts salary schedules with monthly pay steps by job title. City of Medford
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund took in $4.1 million more than it spent before transfers in FY2024-25, and its balance rose $6.4 million. How much of that balance does the 2025-27 budget plan to use?
- The city's share of the Oregon PERS net pension liability was $77.3 million on June 30, 2025. How will rising PERS costs affect the general fund?
- Bonds outstanding were $128.9 million on June 30, 2025. How much more borrowing will the required Regional Water Reclamation Facility upgrade need?
Help decide what comes next
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