How Gatesville is run
Who runs Gatesville, 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 Gatesville's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Gatesville
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day and appoints department heads. The council has six members, three elected from each of two wards. The mayor is elected citywide, presides at meetings and votes only to break a tie. The council passes ordinances and adopts the budget. The Ward 2, Place 4 seat was vacant when the FY2026-27 budget was adopted.
What they are paid
- $700 a month vehicle allowance
- Severance of nine months' base salary plus benefits if dismissed without cause
- Same health, dental, vision and retirement plans as other city employees
- Must live within a 15-minute response of the city limits
Gatesville city staff
95 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Authorized full-time positions. The budget also authorizes 22 part-time positions, 117 in all. City of Gatesville · Sep 8, 2026
The budget shows salary totals by department, not pay by position. We found no city-published pay list for employees. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Gatesville 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: $2.4M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: A financial policy adopted Feb. 11, 2025 sets the general fund balance at 25% of operating expenditures. Any balance above 25% moves to a capital improvements fund. City of Gatesville · Mar 24, 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
- Sales tax$3.3M · 34%
- Property tax (current year)$3.1M · 32%
- Transfer in from the water and sewer fund$833,568 · 9%
- Franchise fees from city utilities$567,955 · 6%
- Intergovernmental revenue$418,885 · 4%
- Franchise fees from private utilities$380,000 · 4%
- Other (fines, permits, interest, fitness center, pool, rentals and misc.)$1.1M · 12%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police and animal control$3.2M · 33%
- Streets$1.6M · 17%
- Administration$1.5M · 15%
- Parks and recreation$898,204 · 9%
- Development services$436,845 · 4%
- Fitness center$364,676 · 4%
- Recreation management at Fort Cavazos$354,458 · 4%
- Library$346,792 · 4%
- Other (fire, court, fleet, civic center, pool and transfers)$982,082 · 10%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of the combined rate a Gatesville homeowner pays, about 23 cents per dollar goes to the city. For FY2026-27 the city kept its rate at 56 cents.
23¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Gatesville
- Gatesville ISD (schools)Operations 0.6969 plus debt 0.2.0.8969 · 37%
- Coryell County0.56579 · 24%
- Hospital districtRate as listed in the city's FY2025 annual report.0.37 · 15%
- City of Gatesville (operations)0.508295 · 21%
- City of Gatesville (debt)0.051705 · 2%
- Total ($ per $100 of taxable value)2.39269
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in Gatesville (Coryell County, Gatesville ISD): city, county, school district and hospital district. Texas Comptroller · Jan 28, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Gatesville is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityGatesville Police DepartmentCity of Gatesville · Mar 24, 2026
- FireThe cityGatesville Volunteer Fire DepartmentA volunteer department.City of Gatesville
- WaterThe cityCity of Gatesville water and sewer utilityCity of Gatesville · Mar 24, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Gatesville water and sewer utilityCity of Gatesville · Mar 24, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity of Gatesville Public WorksCity of Gatesville
- ParksThe cityCity of Gatesville Parks and Recreation DepartmentCity of Gatesville
- AirportThe cityCity of GatesvilleCity of Gatesville · Mar 24, 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 | RobinsonTX | BudaTX | GatesvilleTX | Live OakTX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 13,028 | 16,166 | 16,422 | 16,426 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $137,000 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $883 | $1,398 | $592 | $1,288 |
| Debt per resident | $5,889 | $13,626 | $1,201 | $1,241 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $216 | $160 | $119 | $399 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.9 | 9.4 | 5.8 | 7.4 |
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). Robinson and Buda pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Gatesville 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 Gatesville
- Partly: City manager's contract findable online City of Gatesville · Sep 5, 2024
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineThe adopted budget lists each member's vote, and minutes record each motion with the vote count and absent members. City of Gatesville · Sep 8, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no budget line, ordinance or other readable document that states pay for the mayor or council. City of Gatesville · Sep 8, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $2.44 million on September 30, 2025. The policy sets fund balance at 25% of operating spending, and the FY2026-27 general fund budget is $9.73 million. How much room does that leave for unplanned costs?
- Police and animal control make up $3.23 million of the $9.73 million general fund budget for FY2026-27. How does the city measure what that spending delivers?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1, and the charter requires adoption at least 15 days before. For FY2026-27 the proposed budget went to the council Aug. 11, 2026, the public hearing was Sept. 1, and the council adopted it Sept. 8, 2026 (Ordinance 2026-15). See who is running for council
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