How Baytown is run
Who runs Baytown, 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 Baytown's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Baytown
A city manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day and appoints and removes department heads. The council of seven, the mayor and six district members, sets policy and adopts the budget.
What they are paid
Baytown city staff
1,001 full-time-equivalent positions, including General fund 769, Storm water utility 26, Street maintenance 20, Sanitation 15. FY2026-27. City of Baytown · Sep 10, 2026
The budget lists positions and pay grades by department. We found no city-published list of pay by position or employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Baytown 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: $36.2M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Keep a general fund balance equal to 60 to 90 days of operating spending. City of Baytown · Mar 26, 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
- Industrial district payments$69.3M · 45%
- Property taxes$28.7M · 19%
- Sales and franchise taxes$28.4M · 18%
- Transfers from other funds$6M · 4%
- Charges for services$5.2M · 3%
- Intergovernmental$3.6M · 2%
- Investment earnings$2.9M · 2%
- Other (permits, fines, payments in lieu of taxes, misc.)$5.2M · 3%
- From savings (fund balance)$4.6M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$41.9M · 27%
- Fire and EMS$36.3M · 24%
- General government$32.5M · 21%
- Public works$16.4M · 11%
- Parks and recreation$10.4M · 7%
- Transfers to other funds$8.1M · 5%
- Health and welfare$5.3M · 3%
- Other (library, contingency)$3.3M · 2%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Baytown homeowner in Goose Creek CISD pays to these three, about 32 cents goes to the city. Bills also include other Harris County taxing units, such as the flood control and hospital districts, not shown here. Homes in the Chambers County part of the city pay Chambers County rates. The city kept its rate at $0.69803 for FY2027.
32¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Baytown
- Goose Creek CISD (schools)Operations 0.745 plus debt 0.3251.07 · 50%
- City of Baytown (operations)0.42464 · 20%
- Harris County0.38096 · 18%
- City of Baytown (debt)0.27339 · 13%
- Total ($ per $100 of taxable value)2.14899
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in Baytown in Goose Creek CISD (Harris County). Texas Comptroller · Jan 28, 2026
See what a Baytown home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Baytown is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCity of BaytownCity of Baytown · Mar 26, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of BaytownCity of Baytown · Mar 26, 2026
- TrashThe cityCity of Baytown sanitationCity of Baytown · Mar 26, 2026
- Storm waterThe cityCity of Baytown storm water utilityCity of Baytown · Mar 26, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of BaytownCity of Baytown · Mar 26, 2026
- LibraryThe cityCity of BaytownCity of Baytown · Mar 26, 2026
- SchoolsSeparate districtGoose Creek Consolidated ISDCity of Baytown · Mar 26, 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 | San MarcosTX | BaytownTX | BryanTX | Wichita FallsTX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 77,830 | 86,561 | 91,996 | 101,951 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $288,699 | Not confirmed | $355,000 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $17,400 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $7,200 |
| General fund per resident | $1,792 | $1,779 | $1,297 | $1,744 |
| Debt per resident | $7,178 | $3,263 | $6,316 | $967 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $599 | $759 | $-30 | $1,022 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 12.7 | 11.6 | 11.0 | 12.4 |
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).
What Baytown publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2027 adopted budget book is posted on the city's Annual Budget page. City of Baytown
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineThe budget ordinance records each member's vote, e.g. the vote adopting the FY2027 budget on Sept. 10, 2026. City of Baytown · Sep 10, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineAgendas, packets, minutes and videos are posted through the city's electronic agenda program. City of Baytown
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of Baytown · Sep 10, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget lists positions and pay grades, not salary amounts. We found no pay list by position or employee. City of Baytown · Sep 10, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Industrial district payments are budgeted at $69.3 million, the largest source of FY2027 general fund revenue. How would the budget change if those agreements were renegotiated or a plant closed?
- Bonds and certificates of obligation totaled $282.4 million on Sept. 30, 2025. How much new borrowing will the city's capital plans need in the next few years?
- The council approved the city manager's agreement on Jan. 12, 2023, but the agreement is not posted. Will the council publish the agreement and the manager's current pay?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The city manager proposes the budget in late July, at least 60 days before the year begins. The council holds a public hearing in August and adopted the FY2027 budget and a $0.69803 tax rate on Sept. 10, 2026. See who is running for council
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