How Bryan is run
Who runs Bryan, 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 Bryan's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Bryan
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
- A car allowance of $8,400 a year
- Up to $5,000 a year paid into a 457 retirement plan, on top of TMRS
- 30 days of vacation a year, paid out when he leaves
- 20 weeks' base salary as severance if removed without cause, plus one year of COBRA health premiums
- Five-year term, Nov. 24, 2025 to Nov. 23, 2030
- Removal without cause takes six council votes
Bryan city staff
1,013 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 199, Fire and EMS 174, Bryan Texas Utilities (electric) 196, Library (Bryan/College Station) 35. FY2027 proposed. City of Bryan · Jul 31, 2026
The budget lists positions and salary totals by department. We found no city-published pay list by position or employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Bryan 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: $24.3M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Keep general fund unassigned fund balance at no less than 60 days of recurring budgeted operating spending, with a target of 100 days. The audited balance equaled 81 days. The city meets this target. City of Bryan · Mar 24, 2026
Bar: unassigned savings of $24.3M. Line: the amount the city's target calls for.
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 FY2027 proposed.
Comes from
- Property tax$55M · 45%
- Sales tax$31.8M · 26%
- Right-of-way payments from city utilities (mostly BTU electric)$16.6M · 14%
- Charges for services (ambulance, recreation, other)$8.1M · 7%
- Miscellaneous and shared taxes$3.9M · 3%
- Grants$2M · 2%
- Fines$2M · 2%
- Other (franchise fees, licenses and permits, transfers in)$3.2M · 3%
Goes to (FY2027 proposed)
- Police$30.9M · 26%
- Fire and emergency medical services$30.6M · 26%
- Support services (IT, facilities, finance, HR, fleet)$20.5M · 17%
- Non-departmental (outside agencies, transfers)$12.6M · 11%
- Parks and recreation$7.6M · 6%
- Public works (engineering, streets, traffic)$7.2M · 6%
- Other (administration, library, development services, court, animal center)$19M · 16%
- Less: costs charged back to utilities and other funds$-9M · -8%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Bryan homeowner in Bryan ISD pays, about 31 cents goes to the city. The FY2027 proposed budget keeps the city rate at $0.624.
31¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Bryan
- Bryan ISD (schools)Operations 0.6769 plus debt 0.270.9469 · 47%
- Brazos County0.423059 · 21%
- City of Bryan (operations)0.452846 · 23%
- City of Bryan (debt)0.171154 · 9%
- Total ($ per $100 of taxable value)1.993959
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in Bryan in Bryan ISD (Brazos County). Texas Comptroller · Jan 28, 2026
See what a Bryan house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Bryan is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCity of Bryan Police Department
- FireThe cityCity of Bryan Fire Department
- Ambulance (EMS)The cityCity of Bryan Fire DepartmentThe city bills for ambulance service.
- ElectricityThe cityBryan Texas Utilities (BTU), city-ownedBTU paid the general fund $14.6 million in right-of-way payments in the FY2027 proposed budget.
- WaterThe cityCity of Bryan Water Services
- SewerThe cityCity of Bryan Wastewater Services
- LibraryThe cityBryan/College Station Public Library System, run by the City of Bryan
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Bryan Parks and Recreation
- Streets and drainageThe cityCity of Bryan Public Works
- Animal control and shelterThe cityCity of Bryan (Bryan Animal Center)
- AirportThe cityCoulter Field, city-owned
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 Bryan 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 timeThe FY2025 audited report (year ended Sept. 30, 2025) has an auditor's report dated March 24, 2026, and is posted on the city site. City of Bryan
- Partly: Adopted budget posted online City of Bryan
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Bryan
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineMinutes are in Laserfiche. Agendas are on Diligent Community and videos on Swagit, each kept for two years. City of Bryan
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget shows $100 for council salaries and benefits. We found no readable document stating each member's pay. City of Bryan
- No: Employee pay publishedThe Financial Transparency page posts audits, budgets, quarterly and debt reports. We found no pay list by position or employee. City of Bryan
Questions to ask your council
- The proposed FY2027 general fund spends $119.3 million, up 9.3%, with the city tax rate held at $0.624. Which of the new costs are recurring, and how will they be paid for in later years?
- In FY2024-25 general fund spending of $116.3 million, including $16.2 million of capital outlay, was $19.8 million above revenue, and fund balance fell $4.8 million. Which one-time costs drove that?
- Right-of-way payments from city utilities, mostly BTU electric, are the third-largest general fund revenue in the FY2027 proposed budget. How does the council decide that amount?
- Unassigned reserves equaled 81 days of spending at Sept. 30, 2025, against a 100-day target. When does the city expect to reach the target?
Help decide what comes next
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