How Ontario is run
Who runs Ontario, 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 Ontario's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Ontario
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-paid PERS retirement contribution, backdated to July 1, 2025
Ontario city staff
56 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 30, Fire 15, Administration 4, Code enforcement 2, Building 2. FY2026-27. City of Ontario · Jun 23, 2026
The budget shows wages by department. We found no salary schedule or list of pay by employee on the city's website. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Ontario 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 against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $6.9M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep a general fund ending balance of 3 months of general fund operating expenses, plus a contingency account for unexpected needs. City of Ontario · Jan 22, 2026
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
- Cash carried over from prior years$6.7M · 37%
- Property taxes$4.7M · 26%
- Local marijuana tax$2.5M · 14%
- Idaho Power franchise fee$1.4M · 8%
- Police revenues$731,885 · 4%
- Public works payment to general fund$431,524 · 2%
- Other (franchise fees, alcohol tax, fees, interest and more)$1.8M · 10%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$6.2M · 34%
- Administrative overhead$3.4M · 19%
- Fire$3M · 16%
- Unappropriated ending fund balance$1.7M · 9%
- Parks$893,818 · 5%
- Administration$658,528 · 4%
- Contingency$565,338 · 3%
- Other (code enforcement, technology, finance, cemetery and more)$1.9M · 10%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Ontario is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityOntario Police DepartmentCity of Ontario · Jun 23, 2026
- FireThe cityOntario Fire & RescueCity of Ontario
- Medical emergency responseThe cityOntario Fire & RescueCity of Ontario
- WaterThe cityCity of Ontario Public WorksThe plant also supplies the Snake River Correctional Institution.City of Ontario
- SewerThe cityCity of Ontario Public WorksCity of Ontario
- StreetsThe cityCity of Ontario Public WorksCity of Ontario
- Parks and cemeteriesThe cityCity of Ontario Public WorksCity of Ontario
- AirportThe cityCity of OntarioCity of Ontario · Jan 22, 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 | Cottage GroveOR | GladstoneOR | OntarioOR | La GrandeOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,851 | 11,865 | 11,957 | 12,985 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $192,741 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $150,972 |
| Council member pay | No salary | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,113 | $2,319 | $1,534 | $1,701 |
| Debt per resident | $2,069 | $624 | $280 | $148 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,197 | $583 | $875 | $397 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 4.7 | 4.7 | 13.3 |
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). Cottage Grove and Gladstone pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Ontario 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 Ontario · Jun 23, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no manager contract on the city site or in council packets. Minutes record a 2024 raise and a 2025 amendment. City of Ontario · Dec 9, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes in the meeting packets list each member's roll call vote. City of Ontario · Jun 23, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget shows wages by department only. We found no salary schedule or pay by employee on the city site. City of Ontario · Jun 23, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund ended June 30, 2025 with $6.9 million unassigned, against a target of 3 months of operating expenses. What is the extra balance set aside for?
- The local marijuana tax is budgeted at $2.5 million in FY2026-27, more than half as much as property taxes. What happens to services if it falls?
- Police is the largest general fund cost at $6.2 million in FY2026-27. What would the three more officers the budget message mentions add to that?
- The city's share of the PERS pension shortfall was $10.5 million. How much longer will side account payments continue?
Help decide what comes next
What do you want to know about Ontario next?
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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