How Lago Vista is run
Who runs Lago Vista, 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 Lago Vista's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Lago Vista
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The council of seven, including the mayor, sets policy and priorities and adopts the budget.
What they are paid
- Reimbursement for reasonable expenses in official duties, as approved by council
- City council budget: $67,800 (FY2027), with no personnel costs
Lago Vista city staff
The budget book shows salary lines by job title but no total staff count. Texas has no statewide city pay database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Lago Vista 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: $16.2M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Keep operating reserves at 90 days of spending (25%), and not below 60 days (16.7%). If reserves fall below target, a plan must be in place to restore them. City of Lago Vista · Mar 25, 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$6.2M · 47%
- Transfers in (including $1.6M from the utility fund for debt)$1.9M · 14%
- Solid waste fees$1.4M · 10%
- Sales taxes$1.2M · 9%
- Permits and fees$550,700 · 4%
- Electric franchise fee$540,000 · 4%
- Interest$371,000 · 3%
- Other (cable and gas franchise fees, hazardous waste and court fees, misc.)$1.2M · 9%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of the city, county and school tax rate a Lago Vista homeowner pays, about 23 cents per dollar goes to the city. Other districts not in these files may also tax the property. For FY2026-27 the city set its rate at 45.1988 cents, equal to the no-new-revenue rate.
23¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Lago Vista
- Lago Vista ISD (schools)Operations 0.6969 plus debt 0.321.0169 · 56%
- Travis County0.375845 · 21%
- City of Lago Vista (operations)0.245816 · 14%
- City of Lago Vista (debt)0.174184 · 10%
- Total ($ per $100 of taxable value)1.812745
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the city of Lago Vista (Travis County): city, county and school district. Texas Comptroller · Jan 28, 2026
See what a Lago Vista home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Lago Vista is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of Lago Vista (utility fund)City of Lago Vista
- Golf courseThe cityCity of Lago Vista (golf course fund)City of Lago Vista
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 | Lago VistaTX | RobinsonTX | BudaTX | GatesvilleTX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,498 | 13,028 | 16,166 | 16,422 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $137,000 |
| Council member pay | No salary | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,250 | $883 | $1,398 | $592 |
| Debt per resident | $4,550 | $5,889 | $13,626 | $1,201 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $39 | $216 | $160 | $119 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 5.9 | 9.4 | 5.8 |
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 Lago Vista 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 Lago Vista
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineNo contract found for the interim city manager. The FY2027 budget lists a $225,000 city manager salary line. City of Lago Vista
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineThe adopted budget cover lists each member's vote on the FY2027 budget: four aye, three nay. City of Lago Vista
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city charter says the mayor and council serve without pay, with reimbursement of reasonable expenses. City of Lago Vista
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe budget book shows salary lines by job title for some positions. We found no full pay list. City of Lago Vista
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $16.2 million in September 2025, while city policy targets 90 days of spending. How does the council plan to use the amount above the target?
- The FY2027 budget states $65.5 million in outstanding debt principal as of September 30, 2026, up from $47.8 million in bonds a year earlier. What did the added borrowing pay for, and how will it be repaid?
- The general fund took in $11.8 million and spent $12.4 million in FY2025 before transfers. Which FY2027 choices keep spending within recurring revenue?
Help decide what comes next
What do you want to know about Lago Vista next?
One tap, no sign-in. We count answers; we never show who chose what.
Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
See something wrong? Report an error
Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.