How Laredo is run
Who runs Laredo, 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 Laredo's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Laredo
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
- Benefits on the same basis as all other city employees
- $750 a month for vehicle costs ($1,200 for the mayor)
- $750 a month for home office costs and $150 a month for a cell phone
Laredo city staff
3,602 full-time-equivalent positions, including General fund 1,885, Health department 278, Waterworks 251. FY2026-27. City of Laredo · Jul 28, 2026
The budget lists positions by fund and department. We found no city-published list of pay by position or employee on the financial transparency pages. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Laredo 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: $13.7M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: The City Charter sets aside 15% of general fund expenditures as a minimum fund balance. If reserves fall below that level, management must bring a plan, approved by the council, to restore them. City of Laredo · 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 (current year)$106M · 35%
- Sales tax$57.6M · 19%
- Transfer from the international bridge system$45.7M · 15%
- Charges for services$41.8M · 14%
- Transfer from the capital improvement fund$13.9M · 5%
- Franchise fees$8.6M · 3%
- Licenses and permits$8.3M · 3%
- Other$18.6M · 6%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety (police and fire)$187M · 62%
- General government$44M · 15%
- Transfers out to other funds$29.3M · 10%
- Culture and recreation$27.5M · 9%
- Public works$12.2M · 4%
- Other (health and welfare)$237,933 · 0%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Laredo homeowner in United ISD pays, about 28 cents goes to the city. Most of the city is in United ISD; homes in Laredo ISD pay that district's rate of 1.1568 instead.
28¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Laredo
- United ISD (schools)Operations 0.6189 plus debt 0.1027550.721655 · 39%
- Webb County0.3825 · 21%
- City of Laredo (operations)0.377599 · 21%
- Laredo College district0.229249 · 12%
- City of Laredo (debt)0.128491 · 7%
- Total ($ per $100 of taxable value)1.839494
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the city of Laredo in United ISD (Webb County). Texas Comptroller · Jan 28, 2026
See what a Laredo house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Laredo is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityLaredo Police DepartmentCity of Laredo · Mar 25, 2026
- FireThe cityLaredo Fire Department15 fire stations.City of Laredo · Mar 25, 2026
- Ambulance (EMS)The cityLaredo Fire Department12 ambulances.City of Laredo · Mar 25, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Laredo Utilities (Waterworks System)Water from the Rio Grande.City of Laredo · Mar 25, 2026
- ParksThe cityCity of Laredo Parks and RecreationCity of Laredo · Mar 25, 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 | College StationTX | DentonTX | LaredoTX | Corpus ChristiTX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 127,472 | 169,431 | 269,515 | 317,247 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not current (2023) |
| Council member pay | No salary | $9,000 | $50,000 | $6,000 |
| General fund per resident | $1,100 | $1,378 | $1,114 | $1,131 |
| Debt per resident | $3,524 | $11,006 | $3,897 | $6,856 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $318 | $519 | $955 | $731 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 8.3 | 11.2 | 13.4 | 13.1 |
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 Laredo 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 budget ordinance and consolidated budget are in Legistar; the proposed budget book is on the Budget page. City of Laredo
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list each member's vote, e.g. the 8-1 vote on Feb. 11, 2026 to continue the city manager's contract. City of Laredo
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentCode Sec. 2-29, as shown in Ordinance 2024-O-200, states $75,000 for the mayor and $50,000 for council members. City of Laredo
- No: Employee pay publishedThe finance summary and budget list position counts. We found no pay list by position or employee on the transparency pages. City of Laredo
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund counts on a $45.7 million transfer from the international bridge system. How would the budget change if bridge toll revenue fell?
- The general fund had $13.7 million unassigned on Sept. 30, 2025, while the charter sets a 15% minimum fund balance. Where is that reserve held, and is it fully funded?
- The Laredo Firefighters' Retirement System was 64.63% funded, with a $135.6 million net pension liability. What is the plan to raise its funding?
- No posted document states the city manager's pay. Will the council publish the contract it continued on Feb. 11, 2026?
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