How Oregon City is run
Who runs Oregon City, 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 Oregon City's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Oregon City
A city manager hired by the City Commission runs all administration and day-to-day services. The five-member commission, a mayor and four commissioners, votes on ordinances, sets policy and hires the city manager and the municipal judge.
What they are paid
- City pays 6.27% of salary into a 457 deferred compensation plan and 3% into a 401(a) plan
- $350 a month car allowance
- May cash out up to 80 hours of vacation a year
- Up to six months of base pay and health coverage if let go without cause
Oregon City city staff
224 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2024-25 (audited report, statistical section). City of Oregon City · Dec 11, 2025
The city posts salary schedules for management and union staff on its Human Resources pages. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Oregon City 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 forecast shows General Fund spending outpacing revenue every year through FY2030-31, with the fund balance falling to $7.8 million by June 30, 2031. The forecast does not include steps leaders may take. The budget says the city will look at the services it delivers and develop a plan to maintain financial stability. City of Oregon City · Jun 4, 2025
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $12.8M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: The budget targets General Fund reserves (operating contingency plus unappropriated ending balance) of 27% of the annual operating budget, about $9.5 million. The adopted budget plans about $11.0 million, or 30%, at the end of the biennium. City of Oregon City · Dec 11, 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 BN2025-27.
Comes from
- Property taxes$37.3M · 44%
- Beginning fund balance$13.8M · 16%
- Franchise fees$10.8M · 13%
- Internal service charges$6.7M · 8%
- Intergovernmental$5.3M · 6%
- Charges for services$3.8M · 4%
- Fines and penalties$2.2M · 3%
- Other$4.8M · 6%
Goes to (BN2025-27)
- Police$30.6M · 36%
- Policy and administration$18.3M · 22%
- Parks and recreation$13.1M · 16%
- Unappropriated ending balance$6M · 7%
- Contingency$5.1M · 6%
- General government$4.6M · 5%
- Transfers to other funds$4.1M · 5%
- Other$2.9M · 3%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
About 23 cents of each property-tax dollar goes to the city and its urban renewal agency ($4.56 of $18.72 per $1,000). The largest share goes to the Oregon City School District. Fire protection is paid through Clackamas Fire District #1, inside "Other districts".
24¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Oregon City
- Oregon City School District6.0334 · 32%
- City of Oregon City (operating)4.3508 · 23%
- Clackamas County (incl. county library and extension)3.3698 · 18%
- Other districts (Clackamas Fire District #1, Port of Portland, vector control, Metro)3.6044 · 19%
- Clackamas Community College0.7908 · 4%
- Clackamas Education Service District0.3612 · 2%
- Oregon City Urban Renewal Agency0.2077 · 1%
- Total ($ per $1,000 of assessed value)18.7181
FY2024-25 rates for property in Oregon City (Clackamas County). City of Oregon City · Dec 11, 2025
See what a Oregon City home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Oregon City is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCity of Oregon CityCity of Oregon City · Dec 11, 2025
- Fire protectionSeparate districtClackamas Fire District #1City of Oregon City · Dec 11, 2025
- 911 dispatchContractorClackamas County CommunicationsThe police department contracts for 911 dispatch.City of Oregon City · Jun 4, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of Oregon CityTreated water is bought from the South Fork Water Board, owned equally by Oregon City and West Linn.City of Oregon City · Jun 4, 2025
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Oregon CityCity of Oregon City · Dec 11, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Oregon CityCity of Oregon City · Dec 11, 2025
- LibraryThe cityCity of Oregon CityCity of Oregon City · Dec 11, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Oregon CityCity of Oregon City · Dec 11, 2025
- Municipal courtThe cityCity of Oregon CityCity of Oregon City · Dec 11, 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 | Oregon CityOR | RedmondOR | KeizerOR | Grants PassOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 38,175 | 38,547 | 39,140 | 39,239 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $203,592 | $218,397 | $182,915 | $189,278 |
| Council member pay | No salary | Not confirmed | No salary | No salary |
| General fund per resident | $2,218 | $1,353 | $452 | $1,401 |
| Debt per resident | $527 | $2,648 | $188 | $542 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $741 | $898 | $538 | $871 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.9 | 7.0 | 2.7 | 6.5 |
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). Oregon City and Redmond pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Oregon City publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Audited financial report filed on time City of Oregon City · Dec 11, 2025
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe adopted 2025-2027 biennial budget, with a six-year General Fund forecast, is on the Budget Documents page. City of Oregon City · Jun 4, 2025
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe 2016 employment agreement was in the January 7, 2025 agenda packet; his pay is in a December 2025 staff report. City of Oregon City · Jan 7, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCommission minutes list each member's yes or no vote by name. City of Oregon City · Jun 4, 2025
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Oregon City · Oct 11, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe adopted budget says commissioners receive no compensation for their time. City of Oregon City · Jun 4, 2025
- Yes: Employee pay published City of Oregon City · Oct 11, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The city's forecast shows the General Fund balance falling to $7.8 million by June 30, 2031. Which services or revenues will the commission review before the next two-year budget?
- Police account for $30.6 million of the $84.7 million two-year General Fund budget. How does the commission measure what that spending delivers?
- Unassigned General Fund reserves were $12.8 million on June 30, 2025, and the budget targets about $9.5 million of reserves. What reserve level does the commission want to keep as the forecast balance declines?
- The city's share of the state pension liability was $28.3 million at June 30, 2025. How is the city planning for rising pension rates?
Help decide what comes next
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