How Robinson is run
Who runs Robinson, 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 Robinson's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Robinson
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
Robinson city staff
77 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Full-time employees. The budget also lists three part-time court positions. City of Robinson
The budget book shows pay ranges by job title in its salary plan but no pay for named staff. Texas has no statewide city pay database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Robinson 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: $7M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Aim for fund balance of at least 180 days of each fund's operating spending as finances allow. A council resolution sets a minimum of 90 days for the general fund. City of Robinson · Feb 17, 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 and franchise taxes$6.6M · 58%
- Sales tax (estimate)$3M · 27%
- Other charges and fees$855,000 · 7%
- Interest$315,000 · 3%
- Fines and forfeitures$302,959 · 3%
- Licenses and permits$302,500 · 3%
- Intergovernmental$23,850 · 0%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$5.1M · 44%
- Streets$2M · 17%
- Volunteer fire department$1.2M · 10%
- Administration$1.1M · 10%
- Planning and inspections$806,418 · 7%
- Finance$370,828 · 3%
- Other (municipal court, mayor and council, facilities, parks, community media)$977,757 · 8%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of the city, county and school tax rate a Robinson homeowner pays, about 28 cents per dollar goes to the city. Other districts not in these files may also tax the property. For FY2026-27 the city set its rate at 53.5326 cents, equal to the no-new-revenue rate.
28¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Robinson
- Robinson ISD (schools)Operations 0.7552 plus debt 0.191440.94664 · 53%
- McLennan County0.334805 · 19%
- City of Robinson (operations)0.325299 · 18%
- City of Robinson (debt)0.184638 · 10%
- Total ($ per $100 of taxable value)1.791382
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the city of Robinson (McLennan County): city, county and school district. Texas Comptroller · Jan 28, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Robinson is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityRobinson Police DepartmentCity of Robinson · Feb 17, 2026
- FireContractorRobinson Volunteer Fire DepartmentThe city pays the department under a contract; the FY2027 budget adds $144,429 to it.City of Robinson
- WaterThe cityCity of Robinson Utility FundBrazos River water and wells, plus treated water bought from Waco since 2020.City of Robinson
- SewerAnother agencyCity of Robinson (collection); regional plant run by the City of Waco (treatment)City of Robinson
- Trash and recyclingContractorWaste ManagementCity of Robinson
- StreetsThe cityCity of Robinson Street DepartmentCity of Robinson · Feb 17, 2026
- ParksThe cityCity of RobinsonCity of Robinson · Feb 17, 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 | 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 Robinson publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 adopted budget book is posted on the city budgets page with past budgets and tax rate notices. City of Robinson
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no posted contract. Minutes of July 2, 2024 record the renewal without stating terms. City of Robinson
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes name who voted for each motion, and the FY2027 budget cover lists each member's vote. City of Robinson
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe charter and budget we reviewed do not state council pay. The Mayor and Council budget has no personnel line. City of Robinson
Questions to ask your council
- Certificates of obligation, bonds and notes totaled $76.7 million in September 2025. What will the newest borrowing build, and how much of it will property taxes repay?
- The general fund spent $10.8 million in FY2025, $1.6 million more than it took in before transfers. Which FY2027 choices keep recurring spending within recurring revenue?
- The FY2027 budget sets $1,171,045 for the volunteer fire department. How is the contract amount set each year?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The charter has the city manager submit a proposed budget at least 60 days before then. For FY2027 the budget went to council Aug. 1, 2026, with a public hearing Aug. 18 and adoption Aug. 25, 2026. See who is running for council
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