How Wilsonville is run
Who runs Wilsonville, 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 Wilsonville's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Wilsonville
A city manager hired by the council runs day-to-day operations and appoints department heads. The five-member council, a mayor and four councilors, passes laws, adopts the budget and hires the city manager and city attorney.
What they are paid
Wilsonville city staff
202 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27 adopted budget. City of Wilsonville · Jun 1, 2026
The count excludes contracted staff, including the 22 sheriff's office personnel assigned to Wilsonville and the water and sewer plant operators. The budget lists pay ranges by job; we found no list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Wilsonville 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 five-year forecast shows the General Fund drawing down reserves through FY2030-31 while keeping its ending balance above the policy minimum. The budget says that, apart from a one-time TVWD ground lease payoff in FY2026-27, forecast expenses will outpace revenues, and options may include a local option levy or a utility fee. City of Wilsonville · Jun 1, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $11.7M (2025-06-30). City of Wilsonville · 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 adopted.
Comes from
- Property taxes$13.1M · 27%
- Transfers from other funds$13.4M · 27%
- Beginning fund balance$12.7M · 26%
- Franchise fees$4.4M · 9%
- Intergovernmental$3M · 6%
- Other (lodging tax, investment income, charges, fines, permits, loan repayments)$2.6M · 5%
Goes to (FY2026-27 adopted)
- Materials and services (includes the sheriff contract)$15.8M · 32%
- Ending fund balance (reserves)$15M · 31%
- Personnel services$14.7M · 30%
- Transfers to capital and other funds$3.1M · 6%
- Loan to the Urban Renewal Agency$500,000 · 1%
- Capital outlay$75,000 · 0%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
About 14 cents of each property-tax dollar goes to the city and its urban renewal agency ($2.73 of $19.13 per $1,000). These are the rates in the city's audited report for one Clackamas County tax code; the Washington County part of the city has different rates, and Oregon's Measure 5 and Measure 50 limits can lower what an owner actually pays.
14¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Wilsonville
- School districts9.2044 · 48%
- Clackamas County3.3065 · 17%
- City of Wilsonville (permanent rate)2.4539 · 13%
- Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue2.0641 · 11%
- Clackamas Community College0.7885 · 4%
- Other (Port of Portland, Metro, vector control)0.6691 · 3%
- Clackamas Education Service District0.3599 · 2%
- City of Wilsonville Urban Renewal Agency0.2738 · 1%
- Clackamas County urban renewal0.0138 · <1%
- Total ($ per $1,000 of assessed value)19.134
FY2024-25 rates for property in the city of Wilsonville (Clackamas County, tax code 003-023). City of Wilsonville · Dec 29, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Wilsonville is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe countyClackamas County Sheriff's OfficeBy contract. A sheriff's captain serves as the city's chief of police.City of Wilsonville
- Fire protectionSeparate districtTualatin Valley Fire & RescueCity of Wilsonville
- StreetsThe cityCity of Wilsonville Public Works (Roads Division)City of Wilsonville
- Public transitThe citySouth Metro Area Regional Transit (SMART), a city departmentFunded mainly by a payroll tax on local businesses.City of Wilsonville
- Parks and recreationThe cityWilsonville Parks and Recreation DepartmentCity of Wilsonville
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 | Forest GroveOR | WilsonvilleOR | TualatinOR | Happy ValleyOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 27,252 | 27,833 | 28,139 | 28,916 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $195,168 | $216,000 | $224,211 | $195,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $2,269 | $1,768 | $1,724 | $568 |
| Debt per resident | $295 | $1,347 | $1,050 | $441 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,318 | $698 | $936 | $340 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 7.1 | 7.3 | 5.9 | 2.7 |
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). Wilsonville and Happy Valley pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Wilsonville 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 Wilsonville
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member onlineThe budget resolutions list each member's vote by name. We did not check other votes. City of Wilsonville
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe adopted budget lists pay for appointed officials but not for the mayor or councilors. We found no council pay figure. City of Wilsonville
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Wilsonville
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund took in $3.1 million more than it spent in FY2024-25, but $7.3 million of net transfers cut its balance by $4.2 million. How much General Fund money should keep going to capital projects?
- The budget says that, apart from a one-time lease payoff, General Fund expenses will outpace revenues. Would the city pursue a local option levy, a utility fee, or service changes?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $11.7 million on June 30, 2025. How much of it should be kept as a cushion as the forecast draws down reserves through FY2030-31?
- The city owed $37.5 million of debt and a $19.4 million share of the Oregon PERS pension liability on June 30, 2025. How will rising PERS rates and plant debt payments affect utility rates and the General Fund?
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