How Anoka is run
Who runs Anoka, 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 Anoka's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Anoka
Anoka has had a council-manager government since 1914. The mayor and four council members pass ordinances and adopt the budget, and they hire the city manager, who runs day-to-day operations and appoints department heads.
What they are paid
Anoka city staff
125 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 44, Electric utility 20, General government 13, Parks and recreation 12, Public works 12. FY2025. Full-time equivalent city employees in 2025, including part-time hours, from the ACFR statistical section. City of Anoka · Jun 9, 2026
The audit counts staff by department. The city posts the base salaries of its highest-paid positions but no full pay list. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Anoka 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: $4.5M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: Unassigned general fund balance of not less than 30% of budgeted operating expenditures. At the end of 2025 it was 27.1% of general fund spending. City of Anoka · Jun 9, 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 (proposed budget; the adopted general fund is $350,000 smaller).
Comes from
- Property taxes$10.3M · 57%
- Intergovernmental (mostly state aid)$3.1M · 17%
- Transfers in (electric utility) and reserves$1.4M · 8%
- Charges for services$1.1M · 6%
- Franchise fees$940,000 · 5%
- Licenses and permits$933,100 · 5%
- Other (fines, interest, miscellaneous)$447,000 · 2%
Goes to (FY2026 (proposed budget; the adopted general fund is $350,000 smaller))
- Police$8M · 44%
- Public works (streets)$2.4M · 13%
- Parks$1.7M · 9%
- Recreation$1.5M · 8%
- Fire (joint Anoka-Champlin department)$1M · 5%
- Building inspections$960,489 · 5%
- Other (council, administration, finance, legal, planning, buildings)$2.7M · 15%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Minnesota property taxes are mostly set as a rate on a property's tax capacity. These are the rates the city's audit lists for 2025. Voter-approved school levies charged on market value are not included.
47¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Anoka
- City of AnokaGeneral fund levy 35.621% and debt service levy 6.354%.41.975 · 47%
- Anoka County30.245 · 34%
- School district13.598 · 15%
- Special districts (city HRA, Metropolitan Council, mosquito control, county rail authority)3.6 · 4%
- Total (percent of tax capacity)89.418
Taxes payable 2025 tax capacity rates for property in Anoka (Anoka County). City of Anoka · Jun 9, 2026
See what a Anoka home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Anoka is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCity of Anoka Police Department
- FireAnother agencyAnoka-Champlin Fire Department
- 911 dispatchThe countyAnoka County Emergency Communications
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of Anoka
- TrashPrivate companyPrivate haulers chosen by each residentThe city does not bill for garbage. Its plan to organize hauling is being challenged in court.
- RecyclingContractorACE Solid Waste (city contract)Billed on city utility bills. The contract runs to March 31, 2028.
- StreetsThe cityCity of Anoka
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Anoka
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 Anoka publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: Adopted budget posted onlineThe budget page posts the 2026 proposed budget. The adopted totals are in the December 15, 2025 council packet. City of Anoka · Oct 10, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe city posts the manager's base salary. We did not find his employment agreement on the city website. City of Anoka · Feb 2, 2026
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member onlinePosted minutes record roll call votes by name on some items. Other motions are recorded as all ayes. City of Anoka · Dec 15, 2025
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe did not find the mayor's or council members' pay in the budget, the audit or the city website. City of Anoka · Sep 15, 2025
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe city posts the base salaries of its highest-paid positions, as state law requires. We found no full pay list. City of Anoka · Feb 2, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $4,475,218 at the end of 2025, or 27.1% of general fund spending, below the 30% policy. What is the plan to reach the target by 2029?
- The electric utility sent $1 million to the general fund in 2025, and the city plans to keep that level through 2028. How will the general fund replace it afterward?
- Debt includes a $10.8 million temporary tax abatement bond due in 2026 for an industrial site. If the site is not sold, how will the city repay it?
The fiscal year starts January 1. Departments submit requests to the city manager in June, and the manager presents a proposed budget in August. The council adopts a preliminary budget and levy in September. The public hearing and final adoption come in December (December 1 and December 15, 2025, for 2026). See who is running for council
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