How Evanston is run
Who runs Evanston, 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 Evanston's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Evanston
The elected mayor heads the city government and appoints its top administrator and department heads. The council passes laws, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Evanston city staff
The city posts no salary schedule or pay list by employee that we found. Wyoming has no statewide pay database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Evanston 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: $29.2M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: We found no written minimum reserve policy. The general fund also held $5.01 million assigned to city hall, police and fire buildings, public works buildings and the recreation center. City of Evanston · Dec 22, 2025
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.
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Capital projects$5.6M · 23%
- Police$5.3M · 22%
- Public works and streets$4.1M · 17%
- Parks and recreation$3M · 12%
- County fees and community grants$1.6M · 7%
- Other (general government, treasury, IT, council, courts)$4.8M · 20%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Evanston is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityEvanston Police DepartmentCity of Evanston · Jun 16, 2026
- TrashThe cityCity environmental service fundCovers sanitation and storm water programs.City of Evanston · Dec 22, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity public worksCity of Evanston · Dec 22, 2025
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 | JacksonWY | RivertonWY | Green RiverWY | EvanstonWY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,720 | 10,910 | 11,450 | 11,705 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not current (2023) | Not confirmed | $194,066 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $41,000 | Not confirmed | $12,000 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $3,682 | $1,013 | $2,011 | $2,081 |
| Debt per resident | $124 | $359 | $116 | $39 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,044 | $490 | $1,011 | $404 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 15.3 | 11.6 | — | — |
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).
What Evanston publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: Adopted budget posted online City of Evanston · Jun 16, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no city manager or administrator contract online. The minutes list the City Attorney, City Treasurer and City Clerk among staff. City of Evanston
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Evanston · Jun 16, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedWe found no salary schedule or pay list. The budget resolution sets a 3.4% cost-of-living raise for FY2027. City of Evanston · Jun 16, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget is $24.36 million, while audited general fund revenue in FY2024-25 was $15.90 million. How much fund balance will the city use this year?
- The general fund held $29.22 million unassigned at June 30, 2025. What minimum reserve does the council want to keep, and how will it use the rest?
- The FY2026-27 budget sets aside $5.58 million for general fund capital projects. Which projects are planned?
- The city's share of Wyoming Retirement System pension liabilities was $4.72 million at June 30, 2025. How does the budget plan for future pension costs?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The City Treasurer submitted the FY2027 budget on May 1, 2026. The council held the public hearing and adopted the budget on June 16, 2026. See who is running for council
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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?
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