How Gillette is run
Who runs Gillette, 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 Gillette's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Gillette
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
Gillette city staff
321 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police officers and staff 74, 911 dispatch 14. FY2026-27. City of Gillette · May 12, 2026
The city posts a salary schedule with pay ranges by job title, not pay by employee. Wyoming has no statewide pay database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Gillette 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 FY2027 general fund budget is balanced without using reserves and adds about $21,000 to cash. The administrator warns that rising labor and materials costs have eaten most FY2026 revenue gains and that the gap is likely to widen. City of Gillette · May 12, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $31.2M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Keep 150 days of general fund operating costs in reserve. The city sets this aside as committed fund balance ($16.5 million at June 30, 2025), separate from the unassigned balance. City of Gillette · Dec 16, 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.
Comes from
- Sales and use tax$25.5M · 55%
- Charges for services (mostly technical services)$5.8M · 12%
- State shared revenue (supplemental distribution, mineral royalties, severance tax)$5.1M · 11%
- Other revenues (gaming, interest, local government, fines)$4.9M · 11%
- Property tax$2.5M · 5%
- Auto taxes$1.2M · 3%
- Other (licenses and permits, grants, motor fuel and cigarette taxes)$1.5M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police (incl. dispatch and animal control)$16.6M · 36%
- Public works (parks, streets, forestry, pool)$9.5M · 21%
- Finance (incl. IT, customer service, purchasing)$9.2M · 20%
- Development services$3.9M · 8%
- Administration (incl. CAM-PLEX and outside agency funding)$3.6M · 8%
- Public affairs (clerk, court, public access TV)$1.7M · 4%
- Other (human resources, city attorney)$1.9M · 4%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Gillette levies 8 mills, the most Wyoming law allows a city. Most of a property tax bill goes to schools.
11¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Gillette
- Schools32 · 46%
- State12 · 17%
- Campbell County10.95 · 16%
- City of Gillette8 · 11%
- Other districts7.369 · 10%
- Total (mills)70.319
FY2025 property tax rates for a home in the city of Gillette (Campbell County). City of Gillette · Dec 16, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Gillette is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityGillette Police DepartmentCity of Gillette · Dec 16, 2025
- 911 dispatchThe cityGillette Police Department Communications CenterThe city's public safety answering pointCity of Gillette · May 12, 2026
- ElectricityThe cityCity of Gillette Power FundCity of Gillette · Dec 16, 2025
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of Gillette UtilitiesCity of Gillette · Dec 16, 2025
- TrashThe cityCity of Gillette Solid WasteCity of Gillette · Dec 16, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Gillette Public WorksCity of Gillette · Dec 16, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Gillette Public WorksCity of Gillette · Dec 16, 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 | SheridanWY | Rock SpringsWY | LaramieWY | GilletteWY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 20,015 | 22,936 | 32,284 | 34,024 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $194,000 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $12,000 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $6,000 |
| General fund per resident | $1,163 | $1,935 | $1,423 | $1,363 |
| Debt per resident | $1,631 | $161 | $1,188 | $2,397 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $521 | $520 | $456 | $565 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 10.3 | 11.5 | 9.5 | 9.4 |
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 Gillette publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Gillette · May 12, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no City Administrator contract online. The city's salary schedule gives only a pay range for the job. City of Gillette
- No: Council votes recorded member by member onlineThe meetings page lists agendas through a calendar that needs JavaScript. We found no council minutes document showing how each member voted. City of Gillette
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentCity code sets the mayor's pay at $18,000 a year and council pay at $500 a month. City of Gillette Code, Chapter 2 (Administration), Sections 2-2 and 2-15
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Gillette
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $31.2 million at June 30, 2025, on top of $16.5 million set aside for the 150-day reserve. How much should the city hold beyond its policy?
- Sales and use tax is budgeted at $25.5 million, the largest general fund revenue, after a ten percent drop in FY2025. How would the budget adjust if collections fall again?
- The separate 1% sales tax fund ($23.7 million in FY2027) pays for capital projects and the Campbell County Fire Department, and the tax goes back to voters in 2026. What would change if it is not renewed?
- The city's share of state pension liabilities was $19.2 million at June 30, 2025. How do required contributions affect future budgets?
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