How College Station is run
Who runs College Station, 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 College Station's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs College Station
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
- Repayment of necessary expenses for official duties
- Mayor and council budget: $134,865 (FY2027 proposed)
College Station city staff
1,064 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 244, Fire and EMS 206, Public works 136, Electric utility 94. FY2025. Full-time equivalent employees on Sept. 30, 2025. The FY2027 proposed budget lists 1,134.5 positions, 802.5 of them in the general fund. City of College Station · Mar 4, 2026
The budget lists positions by fund and department. We found no city-published list of pay by position or employee. Library staff are City of Bryan employees. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is College Station 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: $46.2M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Keep general fund balance of at least 25% of budgeted spending, about 90 days (the FY2025 audit describes the rule as 20%). The city holds this required reserve as assigned fund balance, $34.5 million in the FY2027 budget, so it is separate from the unassigned balance. City of College Station · Mar 4, 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
- Property taxes$50.5M · 36%
- Sales taxes$44.4M · 32%
- Transfers from city utilities (electric, water, wastewater, solid waste)$16.8M · 12%
- Charges for services (including ambulance fees)$6.3M · 5%
- Investment earnings$3.9M · 3%
- Intergovernmental$3.6M · 3%
- Licenses and permits$3.5M · 2%
- Other (fines, franchise taxes, rents, miscellaneous)$6.9M · 5%
- From savings (fund balance)$4.4M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$42.1M · 30%
- Fire and EMS$35M · 25%
- Parks and recreation$13.3M · 9%
- General government (council, manager, legal, HR, communications)$12.3M · 9%
- Information technology$10.3M · 7%
- Public works (streets, traffic)$9.7M · 7%
- Fiscal services$7.8M · 6%
- Planning and development$6.7M · 5%
- Other (capital projects office, library, outside agencies, equipment, transfers out), net of costs charged to other funds$3.1M · 2%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a College Station homeowner in College Station ISD pays, about 27 cents goes to the city. For FY2026-27 the council raised the city rate to $0.530254. Parts of the city are in Bryan ISD.
27¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of College Station
- College Station ISD (schools)Operations 0.6963 plus debt 0.2790.9753 · 51%
- Brazos County0.423059 · 22%
- City of College Station (operations)0.309204 · 16%
- City of College Station (debt)0.202668 · 11%
- Total ($ per $100 of taxable value)1.910231
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in College Station in College Station ISD (Brazos County). Texas Comptroller · Jan 28, 2026
See what a College Station home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in College Station is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCollege Station Police DepartmentCity of College Station
- FireThe cityCollege Station Fire Department (six stations)City of College Station
- EMS / ambulanceThe cityCollege Station Fire DepartmentAmbulance billing is handled by DigitechCity of College Station
- 911 dispatchThe cityCollege Station Police Department Communications DivisionAlso dispatches fire and EMSCity of College Station
- ElectricityThe cityCollege Station Utilities (city-owned)The electric fund pays the general fund a yearly transferCity of College Station
- WaterThe cityCollege Station Utilities (city-owned)Some homes get water from another utilityCity of College Station
- WastewaterThe cityCollege Station Utilities (city-owned)City of College Station
- Trash collectionThe cityCity of College Station Public Works, Solid WasteCity of College Station
- LandfillAnother agencyBrazos Valley Solid Waste Management Agency (joint with the City of Bryan)Twin Oaks Landfill in Grimes CountyCity of College Station · Mar 4, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of College Station Public WorksCity of College Station
- Parks and recreationThe cityCollege Station Parks and Recreation (57 developed parks)City of College Station
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 | Wichita FallsTX | League CityTX | OdessaTX | College StationTX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 101,951 | 119,905 | 122,707 | 127,472 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not current (2023) | $280,000 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $7,200 | $7,200 | Not confirmed | No salary |
| General fund per resident | $1,744 | $952 | $1,275 | $1,100 |
| Debt per resident | $967 | $2,436 | $2,224 | $3,524 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,022 | $194 | $992 | $318 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 12.4 | 6.4 | 9.2 | 8.3 |
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).
What College Station 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 timeFY2025 audited report (year ended Sept. 30, 2025) has an auditor's report dated March 4, 2026, within Texas's 180-day deadline, and is posted on the city site. City of College Station
- Partly: Adopted budget posted online City of College Station
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe charter says the council sets the manager's salary. We found no posted contract or pay amount in the city's document archive. City of College Station
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote, e.g. the 6-1 vote adopting the FY2027 budget on Aug. 27, 2026. City of College Station
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of College Station
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city charter says the mayor and council members serve without pay, with necessary expenses repaid. City of College Station
- No: Employee pay publishedThe transparency page posts budget data, quarterly statements and a check register that leaves out payroll. We found no pay list by position or employee. City of College Station
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund forecast shows recurring costs above recurring revenue in FY2029, when SAFER grants for Fire Station #7 staff expire. How will the council close that gap?
- The council raised the city tax rate to $0.530254 from $0.511872 on a 5-2 vote. How much of the added revenue goes to general fund services and how much to debt?
- The charter says the council sets the city manager's salary, but we found no document stating it. Will the council publish the amount and the contract?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The city manager presented the proposed budget on July 6, 2026, the council held workshops July 13-15 and a public hearing July 23, and adopted the FY2027 budget and a $0.530254 tax rate on Aug. 27, 2026. See who is running for council
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