How Schertz is run
Who runs Schertz, 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 Schertz's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Schertz
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
- Pay depends on terms served: credit is given for each previously completed term as council member or mayor
- A raise cannot take effect for a member during the term in which it is approved
Schertz city staff
433 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2025. As of Sept. 30, 2025, up from 385 in 2022. The FY2026-27 budget adds 14 positions, 9 in the general fund and 5 in EMS. City of Schertz · Mar 17, 2026
The city posts a yearly compensation report that lists each employee's salary, earnings and benefits by name. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Schertz 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.
The city's own outlook
The budget plans to spend down general fund balance from one-time sales tax. The city expects fund balance to fall from an estimated 87.0% of operating spending to 38.2% by September 2027 and 33.5% by September 2031. The city manager cited lower property tax growth and said the budget focuses on long term budget balance. City of Schertz · Aug 18, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $17.8M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: The city's goal is a general fund balance of 26% of operating spending. If the balance is above that target, the city must bring it down to 26% within 5 years. City of Schertz · Mar 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 tax$22.5M · 27%
- Sales tax$16.9M · 20%
- Use of fund balance (one-time projects and transfers)$27.5M · 33%
- Transfers from other city funds$3.7M · 4%
- Franchise fees$2.6M · 3%
- Inter-jurisdictional$2.4M · 3%
- Fees$2.2M · 3%
- Permits and licenses$2M · 2%
- Other (fines, interest, other tax, miscellaneous)$2.9M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety$28.2M · 34%
- Projects and transfers (one-time)$24.1M · 29%
- Internal services$12.4M · 15%
- General government$9.8M · 12%
- Parks and recreation$4.4M · 5%
- Other (public works, cultural)$3.8M · 5%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Schertz homeowner in Guadalupe County pays, about 27 cents goes to the city. Parts of Schertz lie in Bexar and Comal counties, where county rates differ. For FY2026-27 the city's proposed rate is $0.5296, its no-new-revenue rate.
27¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Schertz
- Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD (schools)Operations 0.6669 plus debt 0.411.0769 · 56%
- City of Schertz (operations)0.3437 · 18%
- Guadalupe County (general fund and debt)0.2784 · 15%
- City of Schertz (debt)0.1681 · 9%
- Guadalupe County (roads and bridges)0.052 · 3%
- Total ($ per $100 of taxable value)1.9191
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the city of Schertz (Guadalupe County). Texas Comptroller · Jan 28, 2026
See what a Schertz house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Schertz is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySchertz Police DepartmentCity of Schertz · Mar 17, 2026
- FireThe citySchertz Fire DepartmentCity of Schertz · Mar 17, 2026
- EMS / ambulanceThe citySchertz EMS (city EMS fund)City of Schertz · Aug 18, 2026
- Water distributionThe cityCity of Schertz Public Works (water and sewer fund)City of Schertz · Aug 18, 2026
- Wastewater treatmentSeparate districtCibolo Creek Municipal AuthorityCity of Schertz · Aug 18, 2026
- Trash collectionContractorRepublic ServicesCity of Schertz · Aug 18, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity of SchertzCity of Schertz · Mar 17, 2026
- LibraryThe citySchertz Public Library (city)City of Schertz · Mar 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 | SeguinTX | PrincetonTX | SchertzTX | The ColonyTX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 41,048 | 43,524 | 45,978 | 46,196 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $298,081 | Not confirmed | $281,520 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not current (2022) | No salary | $6,000 | $3,000 |
| General fund per resident | $1,474 | $853 | $1,801 | $1,632 |
| Debt per resident | $16,383 | $4,346 | $3,429 | $3,784 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $853 | $34 | $468 | $293 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 11.9 | 5.3 | 9.4 | 9.6 |
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). Princeton pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Schertz 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 timeThe FY2025 audit (year ended Sept. 30, 2025) is dated March 17, 2026 and is posted on the city's budget and finance page. City of Schertz · Mar 17, 2026
- Partly: Adopted budget posted onlineThe budget page posts the FY2026-27 proposed budget and a highlights sheet; adopted budgets are posted for earlier years. City of Schertz
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no employment agreement on the city's site or its document archive. The council appointed him on Nov. 1, 2022. City of Schertz · Nov 1, 2022
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote, e.g. the vote canvassing the Nov. 4, 2025 election. City of Schertz · Nov 17, 2025
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe council page links City Council videos on YouTube and the most recent agendas and minutes. City of Schertz
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance 25-S-005 sets $9,000 to $15,000 a year for the mayor and $6,000 to $12,000 for council members, by terms served. City of Schertz · Feb 1, 2025
- Yes: Employee pay publishedThe financial transparency page posts yearly total compensation reports for all city employees, covering wages, benefits and other fringe. City of Schertz
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget of $82.8 million uses $27.5 million of fund balance built from one-time sales tax. Which of these one-time projects will need money in later years?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $17.8 million on September 30, 2025, and the city's goal is 26% of operating spending. How will the council decide what level to keep once the one-time sales tax ends?
- City bonds, certificates and financing arrangements reached $157.6 million on September 30, 2025, up from $112.8 million a year earlier. How will the debt payments be covered as property tax growth slows?
- The city's Texas Municipal Retirement System plan had a $21.5 million net pension liability at the end of 2024 and was 82.80% funded. What is the plan to close the gap?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The city manager's proposed budget letter is dated Aug. 18, 2026. Council held a budget retreat on Aug. 11, set the preliminary tax rate on Aug. 18, held a budget workshop on Aug. 25, and held the budget public hearing on Sept. 15, 2026. See who is running for council
Help decide what comes next
What do you want to know about Schertz 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.