How Riverton is run
Who runs Riverton, 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 Riverton's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Riverton
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
Riverton city staff
127 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Budgeted positions: 112 full-time, 1 part-time, 7 elected and 7 seasonal. City of Riverton · Jul 1, 2026
The city posts no current 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 Riverton 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
Unassigned general fund balance: $7.9M (2025-06-30). City of Riverton · Jan 15, 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
- Sales tax$2.8M · 25%
- State supplemental funding$2.1M · 19%
- PacifiCorp franchise fee$700,000 · 6%
- Mineral royalties$650,000 · 6%
- Willow Creek TAP grant$625,207 · 6%
- EPA brownfield grant$500,000 · 5%
- Cash from prior years$450,088 · 4%
- Property taxes$450,000 · 4%
- Other$2.8M · 26%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$4.7M · 43%
- Capital outlay$2.5M · 23%
- Streets and alleys$802,606 · 7%
- Parks$586,729 · 5%
- Administrative services$515,210 · 5%
- Facility maintenance$459,249 · 4%
- Other (council, administration, court, IT, fleet, community development, debt), net of transfers$1.5M · 13%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Riverton is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityRiverton Police DepartmentCity of Riverton · Jul 1, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity water fundRuns the water treatment plant and well field.City of Riverton · Jul 1, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity wastewater fundRuns the wastewater treatment plant.City of Riverton · Jul 1, 2026
- Trash and recyclingThe cityCity sanitation fundCity of Riverton · Jul 1, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity Streets & Alleys DivisionCity of Riverton · Jul 1, 2026
- ParksThe cityCity Parks DivisionCity of Riverton · Jul 1, 2026
- Mosquito and weed controlThe cityCity Weed & Pest DivisionCity of Riverton · Jul 1, 2026
- AirportThe cityCity airport fund (Central Wyoming Regional Airport)City of Riverton · Jan 15, 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 | CodyWY | JacksonWY | RivertonWY | Green RiverWY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,377 | 10,720 | 10,910 | 11,450 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not current (2023) | Not confirmed | $194,066 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $41,000 | Not confirmed | $12,000 |
| General fund per resident | $1,339 | $3,682 | $1,013 | $2,011 |
| Debt per resident | $332 | $124 | $359 | $116 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $694 | $1,044 | $490 | $1,011 |
| 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 Riverton 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 Riverton · Jun 16, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineMinutes show the council approved the City Administrator's contract on August 16, 2022. We found no copy online. City of Riverton · Aug 16, 2022
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes name members on split votes and roll calls. Most motions are recorded only as passing unanimously. City of Riverton · Sep 15, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget describes a 10-step pay scale. We found no current pay schedule or pay list online. City of Riverton · Jul 1, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- In FY2024-25 the general fund took in $2.35 million more than it spent but transferred $5.58 million to other funds. Which funds received that money, and will those transfers continue?
- The city's share of Wyoming Retirement System pension liabilities was $5.35 million at June 30, 2025. How does the budget plan for rising pension contribution rates?
The fiscal year starts July 1. The council received a tentative budget on May 8, 2026 and held a work session on it May 12. The council held the public hearing and adopted the FY2027 budget on June 16, 2026. See who is running for council
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