How Newport is run
Who runs Newport, 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 Newport's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Newport
Voters elect a mayor to a two-year term and six councilors to four-year overlapping terms. A full-time City Manager, hired by the council, runs the city's daily affairs and supervises the department directors. The council also employs a City Attorney and a part-time Municipal Judge.
What they are paid
- Health, life insurance, retirement and leave benefits under city personnel policies
- $400 a month car allowance, plus mileage for travel outside Lincoln County
- City-owned cell phone
- $7,500 lump sum for moving costs
- City pays dues for ICMA, OCCMA and other approved memberships
Newport city staff
172 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27 adopted budget. City of Newport · Jun 15, 2026
The budget publishes salary ranges by job title and the contract pay for the City Manager, City Attorney and Municipal Judge. We found no list of pay by employee name. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Newport 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
A 7-Year Financial Strategy, completed in February 2026, found projected general fund budget gaps. To close them it recommends a recreation business plan, a public safety fee of about $8 a month per household (about $800,000 a year) and a 2.5% prepared food tax (just over $900,000 a year). The FY2026-27 general fund budget spends $3.12 million more than it takes in, and the city says it will fall $442K short of its own minimum general fund reserve. City of Newport · Jun 15, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $6.1M (2025-06-30). City of Newport · Dec 29, 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$8.8M · 36%
- Beginning balance carried in$5.7M · 24%
- Other taxes (mainly room tax)$4.2M · 18%
- Services provided for other funds$2M · 8%
- Franchise fees$1.1M · 5%
- Miscellaneous$838,813 · 3%
- Other (fees and fines, loans and leases, transfers in, state, interest)$1.4M · 6%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$6.7M · 28%
- City administration (manager, IT, finance, HR, attorney, court, council)$5.4M · 22%
- Fire$3.3M · 14%
- Contingency and ending balance (reserves)$3.3M · 14%
- Transfers to other funds$2.9M · 12%
- Library$1.6M · 6%
- Other (community development, citywide programs, emergency coordinator)$1M · 4%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Combined rates from the city's audited report. Oregon's Measure 5 limits can reduce (compress) some operating levies, so actual bills can be lower.
35¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Newport
- Lincoln County School District5.56 · 27%
- City of NewportOperating 5.59 plus voter-approved bonds 1.627.22 · 35%
- Lincoln County3.07 · 15%
- Newport Urban Renewal2.39 · 12%
- Pacific Communities Health District1.07 · 5%
- Oregon Coast Community College0.42 · 2%
- Port of Newport0.39 · 2%
- ESD Lincoln/Benton Counties0.3 · 1%
- Total ($ per $1,000 of assessed value)20.43
FY2024-25 rates inside Newport (Lincoln County). City of Newport · Dec 29, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Newport is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityNewport Police DepartmentCity of Newport · Dec 29, 2025
- FireThe cityNewport Fire DepartmentCity of Newport · Dec 29, 2025
- EMSThe cityNewport Fire Department (emergency medical response)City of Newport · Jun 15, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Newport Public Works (water utility)City of Newport · Dec 29, 2025
- SewerThe cityCity of Newport Public Works (wastewater utility)City of Newport · Dec 29, 2025
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Newport Public Works (stormwater utility)City of Newport · Dec 29, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of NewportCity of Newport · Dec 29, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Newport Parks and RecreationCity of Newport · Dec 29, 2025
- LibraryThe cityNewport Public Library (city department)City of Newport · Dec 29, 2025
- Municipal courtThe cityNewport Municipal CourtCity of Newport · Dec 29, 2025
- AirportThe cityNewport Municipal Airport (city-run)City of Newport · Dec 29, 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 | Lincoln CityOR | IndependenceOR | Sweet HomeOR | NewportOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,117 | 10,195 | 10,308 | 10,383 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $154,510 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $170,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $3,600 |
| General fund per resident | $2,469 | $978 | $760 | $2,315 |
| Debt per resident | $1,434 | $3,236 | $1,001 | $4,099 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,551 | $704 | $216 | $710 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 16.1 | — | 6.5 | 16.6 |
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). Sweet Home pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Newport 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 FY2026-27 budget is posted on the city's website. City of Newport · Jun 15, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Newport · Jul 9, 2024
- No: Council votes recorded member by member onlineThe council's meeting archive offers agendas, packets and video, but no written minutes. Votes can only be seen on video. City of Newport
- Partly: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Newport
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe budget publishes monthly salary ranges by job title and contract pay for three executives, not pay by employee name. City of Newport · Jun 15, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget spends $3.12 million more than it takes in, and the city expects to miss its own minimum reserve by $442K. Which of the 7-Year Financial Strategy options will the council adopt to close the gap?
- Police ($6.65 million) and fire ($3.31 million) are large lines in the $24.04 million general fund budget for FY2026-27. How would a public safety fee of about $8 a month per household change how they are paid for?
- Starting in January 2027, the mayor and councilors will each receive a $300 monthly stipend. Should that choice go to voters, as some residents have asked?
Help decide what comes next
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