How Wichita Falls is run
Who runs Wichita Falls, 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 Wichita Falls's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Wichita Falls
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
- Members may decline the salary in writing to the city clerk.
Wichita Falls city staff
1,266 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 294, Fire 165, Water and sewer 201. FY2024-25. Sum of the FY2024-25 full-time equivalent employees by function in the ACFR statistical section. City of Wichita Falls
The ACFR lists employees by function. We found no city-published pay list by position or employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Wichita Falls 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: $48.4M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Keep unassigned fund balance at no less than 20% of expenditures. The ACFR says the general fund followed the policy; its unassigned balance equaled 44% of FY2024-25 spending. The city meets this target. City of Wichita Falls · 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 FY2027 adopted.
Comes from
- Other financing sources$59.4M · 33%
- Property tax$54.5M · 31%
- Sales tax$36.3M · 20%
- Franchise and utility fees$6.8M · 4%
- Transfers in$4.6M · 3%
- Charges to other city funds$3.9M · 2%
- Fees$3.8M · 2%
- Interest$3.4M · 2%
- Other (grants, permits, facility and program revenue, miscellaneous)$5.1M · 3%
Goes to (FY2027 adopted)
- Personnel$86.3M · 49%
- Capital projects and equipment$63.8M · 36%
- Charges from other city funds$11.6M · 7%
- Purchased services$6.1M · 3%
- Supplies$3.3M · 2%
- Other expenses$2.5M · 1%
- Maintenance and repair$2.5M · 1%
- Other (transfers out, debt payments)$1.7M · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Wichita Falls homeowner in Wichita Falls ISD pays, about 30 cents goes to the city. Most of the city's rate pays for operations; about 2.6 cents per $100 pays debt.
30¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Wichita Falls
- Wichita Falls ISD (schools)Operations 0.6822 plus debt 0.3930871.075287 · 47%
- City of Wichita Falls (operations)0.656727 · 29%
- City of Wichita Falls (debt)0.025773 · 1%
- Wichita County0.521303 · 23%
- Total ($ per $100 of taxable value)2.279087
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in Wichita Falls in Wichita Falls ISD (Wichita County). Texas Comptroller · Jan 28, 2026
See what a Wichita Falls home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Wichita Falls is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCity of Wichita Falls Police DepartmentCity of Wichita Falls
- FireThe cityCity of Wichita Falls Fire DepartmentCity of Wichita Falls
- WaterThe cityCity of Wichita Falls Public WorksCity of Wichita Falls
- SewerThe cityCity of Wichita Falls Public WorksCity of Wichita Falls
- LibraryThe cityCity of Wichita Falls LibraryCity of Wichita Falls
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Wichita Falls Parks and RecreationCity of Wichita Falls
- StreetsThe cityCity of Wichita Falls Public WorksCity of Wichita Falls
- Bus serviceThe cityCity of Wichita Falls (public transportation)City of Wichita Falls
- AirportsThe cityCity of Wichita Falls (Regional Airport and Kickapoo Airport)City of Wichita Falls
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 | BaytownTX | BryanTX | Wichita FallsTX | League CityTX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 86,561 | 91,996 | 101,951 | 119,905 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $355,000 | Not confirmed | Not current (2023) |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $7,200 | $7,200 |
| General fund per resident | $1,779 | $1,297 | $1,744 | $952 |
| Debt per resident | $3,263 | $6,316 | $967 | $2,436 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $759 | $-30 | $1,022 | $194 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 11.6 | 11.0 | 12.4 | 6.4 |
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).
What Wichita Falls 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, adopted Sept. 15, 2026, and earlier adopted budgets are linked from the Annual Budgets page. City of Wichita Falls
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no posted agreement or pay for James McKechnie, city manager since Sept. 1, 2026. City of Wichita Falls
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city code sets the mayor's pay at $1,000 a month and each councilor's at $600 a month. City of Wichita Falls Code of Ordinances, Sec. 2-30
- No: Employee pay publishedThe finance pages post budgets, audits, debt, pensions and a check register. We found no pay list by position or employee. City of Wichita Falls
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2027 general fund budget of $177.8 million includes $63.8 million of capital spending and $59.4 million of other financing sources. What are those sources, and what will the new projects cost to run each year?
- Unassigned reserves were $48.4 million at Sept. 30, 2025, 44% of general fund spending, against a 20% minimum. How much of the amount above the minimum is set aside for projects?
- The city reported a $104.2 million net pension liability for TMRS and the firefighters' fund at Sept. 30, 2025. What is the plan to reduce it?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The proposed budget goes to the council at the end of July. A budget workshop and a public hearing follow in August. The FY2027 budget was adopted Sept. 15, 2026. See who is running for council
Help decide what comes next
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