• Payroll broken down by fund
• Salary Schedule
• Class Specification
• Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs)

The City has added employee positions to reflect community priorities and to ensure the delivery of essential services, as documented in the City's Adopted Budgets.

Twenty of the 36 recently added positions (55%) were in public safety departments (Police and Fire), including seven sworn police officers and five sworn fire personnel.

Key Areas for Position Additions:

Public Safety

The Police Department added seven Sworn Police Officers, the first increase in sworn staffing since at least FY 2011-2012, in response to overwhelming community support (96% of 2022 survey respondents) for improved public safety.

Other positions in the Police Department were added to devote additional attention to crime prevention, active response, and investigative follow up. All were listed as priorities in community surveys. In addition, three new lead Community Service Officer positions were added to provide supervisory continuity in parking enforcement, animal control and community quality of life enforcement, and special events. The new positions are:

• 7 Sworn Police Officers
• Background Investigator
• Police Support Supervisor Administrative Assistant
• 3 Lead Community Services Officers

In the Fire Department, the Fire Marshal and Fire Inspector transitioned from sworn to civilian positions. The transition allowed the City to enhance suppression staffing and dedicate sworn staff to fire operations, while expanding technical fire prevention and inspection knowledge. In addition, three sworn firefighters/paramedics were added when the BLS Ambulance program was brought in-house for greater oversight of service delivery. Funding for these positions was offset by the elimination of contract ambulance services. The new positions are:

• Fire Marshal (Civilian)
• Fire Inspector (Civilian)
• Deputy Fire Chief
• 4 Firefighter/Paramedics plus the assignment of 2 former fire prevention positions to suppression, resulting in increased sworn suppression staffing of 6 Firefighter/Paramedics

Finance

The Finance Department added four positions to meet growing workload demands resulting from new mandatory regulatory and reporting requirements by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), State law, and the Internal Revenue Service. Due to the increased complexity and volume of new accounting regulations, the City’s independent external auditors recommended adding staff to comply with the accounting standards and improve overall accounting processes in all areas.

Additional staff was also critical to manage the City’s currently active grants totaling $77.5 million. The grants require dedicated staffing for accurate accounting and reporting, as well as communication with grant auditors. The work performed by the Grants & Financial Analyst results in additional grant funds being secured by the City. The new positions are:

• Grants & Financial Analyst
• Senior Accountant
• Accounting Technician
• Account Specialist I/II

Community Development Department

The Community Development Department enhanced plan review staffing to meet faster turnaround times for building plan review. The change was prompted by the higher volume of plan reviews and increasing complexity of land use regulations, including state and federal regulations and California Building Code requirements. Additionally, permit technicians were added to address service timelines for the processing of permits. These positions are funded by cost recovery fees (General Fund Service Charges) paid by development applicants. The new positions are:

• Senior Planner
• Associate Planner
• Plans Examiner
• 2 Permit Technicians

Infrastructure & Technology Support

Six positions in Public Works were added to improve the delivery of capital projects, manage the water distribution system, and reduce expenses by replacing costly street pressure washing contracts with in-house maintenance staff. The new positions are:

• Associate Engineer
• Maintenance Supervisor
• (2) Maintenance Worker I/II
• Maintenance Assistant
• Water Systems Operator I/II

The Information Technology Department added one Office Assistant to meet increased needs of administrative and clerical support driven by the City’s growing reliance on technology in all City operations.

The City maintains a staffing level that allows it to meet high community service demands and deliver the full scope of services expected by residents and visitors. While the employee-per-capita ratio is quantifiable, it must be considered alongside factors that uniquely impact staffing needs:

• Full-Service Public Safety: Manhattan Beach operates its own local Police and Fire services, unlike some cities of similar population that contract for these services with the County.
• Daytime Population & Tourism: As a desirable travel and leisure destination, Manhattan Beach attracts a significant number of visitors and a high daytime population that requires a greater level of public safety and infrastructure maintenance than solely residential communities of similar size.
• Scope of Services: The City manages its own utilities and has varying levels of capital improvement programs and development activity.

When compared to other Los Angeles County cities of similar resident populations with full-service Police and Fire Departments, Manhattan Beach's staffing is within the expected range:

*Population counts gathered from State of California Department of Finance January 2025 Count
**Information on employee counts obtained from the respective Cities' 2025-26 Budget Documents

Managing the City’s pension liabilities is a high-priority topic discussed annually during the budget development process and in the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR).

The City’s financial planning uses a Five-Year Forecast within the Budget document and incorporates CalPERS projected liability payments. This serves as a critical planning tool to see funding imbalances in outer years to plan accordingly for adjustments.

The City proactively took a major step to manage this liability with the issuance of Pension Obligation Bonds (POBs) in 2021. Background information on the POBs and the City's overall pension strategy can be found on the Pension Obligation Bonds webpage.

The City is committed to fiscal stewardship through both cost-reduction and the pursuit of necessary new revenues to maintain and enhance community service standards.

City staff proactively implemented significant cost reductions and reprioritizations in the budget process to align spending with higher community priorities:

• In the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26 Budget, staff reprioritized $458,316 in expenditures to fund higher community priorities.
• During the FY 2025-26 budget process, General Fund budget enhancements totaling nearly $1 million were offset by eliminating $404,049 in lower priority expenditures.
• In the Public Works Department, the City replaced more costly street pressure washing contracts by hiring in-house maintenance staff in 2023, which reduced expenses and allowed for improved park upkeep.

Further cost reductions would impact service levels below the standards our community expects.

New and Updated Revenue Sources

To keep pace with inflation, regulatory requirements, and increasing community demands for enhanced programming and infrastructure, the City has proactively brought forward tax increases and cost recovery fee updates:

• Measure A Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) (2019): Paid by visitors staying in City hotels, motels, and short-term rentals to fund essential City services like police, fire/paramedic response, and street maintenance.
• Storm Drain Measure (2024): Approved for repairs, operations, maintenance, and improvements to the City’s aging storm drain system.
• Measure MMB Transactions and Use Tax Measure (November 2024): Approved by voters for essential services and improvements, including:
  • Fixing potholes and maintaining City streets.
  • Keeping sidewalks, infrastructure, and parks safe, clean, and well-maintained.
  • Improving e-bike traffic enforcement and safety.
  • Making improvements to roads, intersections, bike lanes, and signals to improve traffic safety and reduce congestion.
  • Expanding sidewalks downtown to allow outdoor dining and improved access.
  • Repairing and upgrading aging community facilities.
• New Grant Funding from the State of California (2025): The City has secured $9.3 million in grant funding from various State, Federal, and County agencies for critical Capital Improvement Program (CIP), public safety, and regulatory compliance projects.