How Albert Lea is run
Who runs Albert Lea, 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 Albert Lea's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Albert Lea
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
Albert Lea city staff
138 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2025. Full-time equivalent employees in the 2025 report's statistical section. City of Albert Lea · Jun 17, 2026
The city does not post pay by person or position. Staff counts come from the annual report. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Albert Lea 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 city adopted a balanced budget for 2026. On September 28, 2026 the council set a preliminary 2027 levy of $9,960,000, 7.87% above 2026. The mayor said 7.87% is not acceptable and asked for a lower final budget in December. City of Albert Lea · Sep 28, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $10.3M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance of at least 45% of the next year's budgeted general fund spending and transfers out. It was 50% at the end of 2025. The city meets this target. City of Albert Lea · Jun 17, 2026
Bar: unassigned savings of $10.3M. Line: the amount the city's target calls for.
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.
Comes from
- Local Government Aid$6.9M · 32%
- Property tax levy$6.5M · 30%
- Transfers in from utilities and other funds$2.7M · 13%
- Franchise fees$2M · 9%
- Other state and federal aid$1.4M · 6%
- Charges for services$1.2M · 5%
- Other (permits, fines, other taxes, miscellaneous)$890,440 · 4%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Public safety$9.3M · 43%
- Culture and recreation$4.3M · 20%
- Public works$3.4M · 16%
- General government$3.1M · 15%
- Transfers out$1.3M · 6%
- Economic development$65,200 · 0%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Albert Lea is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityAlbert Lea Police DepartmentCity of Albert Lea · Jun 17, 2026
- FireThe cityAlbert Lea Fire RescueCovers the city and the surrounding area.City of Albert Lea · Dec 8, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity public worksCity of Albert Lea · Jun 17, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityCity of Albert Lea · Jun 17, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity sewer utilityCity of Albert Lea · Jun 17, 2026
- LibraryThe cityCity libraryServes the city and Freeborn County. The county contributes to its budget.City of Albert Lea · Dec 8, 2025
- ParksThe cityCity parks and forestryCity of Albert Lea · Dec 8, 2025
- AirportThe cityCity airport fundCity of Albert Lea · Dec 8, 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 | HugoMN | AnokaMN | Albert LeaMN | StillwaterMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 17,167 | 18,169 | 18,217 | 19,354 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $214,926 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $6,500 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $633 | $986 | $1,185 | $977 |
| Debt per resident | $846 | $2,421 | $2,615 | $1,673 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $62 | $316 | $318 | $325 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 6.9 | 7.5 | — |
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). Hugo and Anoka pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Albert Lea 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 Albert Lea · Dec 8, 2025
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no manager contract on the city website or in posted packets. City of Albert Lea · Jun 30, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes name the members voting for and against each item. City of Albert Lea · Sep 28, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget shows pay by department, not by person or position. City of Albert Lea · Dec 8, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- The preliminary 2027 levy of $9,960,000 is 7.87% above 2026. What would the council change to lower it by December?
- General fund spending was $749,077 more than revenue in 2025, before $2,510,000 in transfers in. How much does the general fund rely on transfers from the utilities and other funds?
- Local Government Aid of $6,909,613 is budgeted for 2026, more than the general fund levy of $6,533,000. How would the budget change if state aid fell?
- Unassigned reserves were $10,262,560 at the end of 2025, above the 45% policy amount of $9,115,200. How does the council plan to use that margin?
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