How Sheridan is run
Who runs Sheridan, 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 Sheridan's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Sheridan
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
Sheridan city staff
207 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2026-27. Authorized positions in the FY2027 budget. Utilities (74), Police (48) and Public Works (35) are the largest groups. City of Sheridan · Jun 15, 2026
The budget lists positions by department but no salary schedule or pay by employee that we found. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Sheridan 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: $10.8M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: Ordinance 2294 (August 2025) sets a General Fund Reserve at 25% of general fund spending, $5.81 million for FY2027. At June 30, 2025 the general fund also held $6 million committed by ordinance for reserves and emergency needs, apart from the unassigned balance. City of Sheridan · Mar 25, 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
- State revenue (sales tax, mineral royalties and other state shares)$12.4M · 53%
- Local revenue (property and vehicle taxes)$3.3M · 14%
- Transfers from other funds$2.3M · 10%
- Miscellaneous$1.4M · 6%
- Federal revenue$1.2M · 5%
- Licenses and permits$1.1M · 5%
- Use of fund balance$1.1M · 5%
- Other (charges, fines, other local governments)$604,555 · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety$10.6M · 45%
- General government$7.1M · 30%
- Public works$2.8M · 12%
- Parks and recreation$2.1M · 9%
- Service center$495,272 · 2%
- Planning and zoning$259,666 · 1%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Sheridan is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySheridan Police DepartmentCity of Sheridan · Jun 15, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe citySheridan Police Department Communications CenterServes all public safety agencies in Sheridan County.City of Sheridan · Jun 15, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity Utilities Department water fundCity of Sheridan · Jun 15, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity Utilities Department sewer fundCity of Sheridan · Jun 15, 2026
- TrashThe cityCity Sanitation DivisionWeekly residential pickup. Waste goes to the Sheridan Landfill.City of Sheridan · Jun 15, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity Streets DivisionCovers 285 lane miles of city streets and snow and ice control.City of Sheridan · Jun 15, 2026
- ParksThe cityCity Parks DepartmentCity of Sheridan · Jun 15, 2026
- Recreation programsSeparate districtSheridan Recreation DistrictA separate district whose board is appointed by the city and Sheridan County School District #2.City of Sheridan · Mar 25, 2026
- Golf courseContractorKendrick Golf Course, run by a contracted management teamCity of Sheridan · Jun 15, 2026
- CemeteryThe cityCity Cemetery DivisionCity of Sheridan · Jun 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 | 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 Sheridan publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe handbook says the City Administrator serves under an employment agreement. We did not find it posted online. City of Sheridan · Dec 20, 2024
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's agenda portal posts council minutes and links to meeting videos. City of Sheridan
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe Governing Body Handbook states the mayor's $24,000 salary and council pay of $1,000 a month. City of Sheridan · Dec 20, 2024
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget lists authorized positions by department but no salary schedule. We found no posted pay list. City of Sheridan · Jun 15, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund held $10.80 million unassigned at June 30, 2025, beyond a $6 million committed reserve. How does the council plan to use it?
- The city owed $32.64 million in loans and bonds at June 30, 2025, mostly state loans for water, sewer and solid waste. How will utility rates cover repayment?
- The FY2026-27 Capital Projects Fund appropriation is $64.57 million. Which projects does it cover, and how much depends on grants?
The fiscal year starts July 1. Departments submit budget requests to the City Treasurer by March 30. The City Administrator files the tentative budget by May 15. The council held the public hearing and adopted the FY2027 budget on June 15, 2026. See who is running for council
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