How Brooklyn Center is run
Who runs Brooklyn Center, 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 Brooklyn Center's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Brooklyn Center
The mayor and four council members set policy and appoint the city manager. Under the city charter, the city manager runs the city's administrative functions. Daren Nyquist, the deputy city manager, became interim city manager on January 12, 2026, after the council voted 3-2 to part ways with Reggie Edwards.
What they are paid
- City pays 7.5% of salary into the state PERA pension
- 40 extra hours of vacation in 2026
- $5,000 retention bonus in two payments
- 3% raise if the interim role runs past 2026
- Returns to deputy city manager at $158,446 if not hired as permanent manager
Brooklyn Center city staff
The budget and audit report give department totals, not staff counts. We found no employee pay list we could open. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Brooklyn Center 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 preliminary 2027 budget raises the general fund levy 9.13% to $27.59 million and the general fund budget to $33.26 million. It adds five positions, four duty crew firefighters and one embedded social worker, and maintains the general fund reserve requirement. City of Brooklyn Center · Sep 28, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $14.6M (2024-12-31). The city's own target: City policy targets unassigned general fund balance of 50% to 52% of the next year's operating budget. Any amount above 52% moves to the capital improvements fund after the audit. City of Brooklyn Center · Jul 21, 2025
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
- Property taxes$25.1M · 83%
- Local Government Aid (state)$1.5M · 5%
- Licenses and permits$926,955 · 3%
- Lodging tax$900,000 · 3%
- Other intergovernmental revenue$685,897 · 2%
- Miscellaneous revenue$426,500 · 1%
- Recreation fees and charges$415,500 · 1%
- Other (service charges, fines, special assessments)$444,780 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$12M · 39%
- Public works$6M · 20%
- General government$4.7M · 15%
- Recreation$2.6M · 8%
- Fire and emergency preparedness$2.4M · 8%
- Community development$2M · 7%
- City buildings$1.3M · 4%
- Other (prevention and health, tourism, risk management, joint powers, supplies, transfers)$2M · 7%
- Less: costs reimbursed by other funds and vacancy savings$-2.6M · -9%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Brooklyn Center is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityBrooklyn Center Police DepartmentCity of Brooklyn Center · Dec 1, 2025
- Fire and emergency preparednessThe cityBrooklyn Center Fire DepartmentCity of Brooklyn Center · Dec 1, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of Brooklyn CenterCity of Brooklyn Center · Jul 21, 2025
- Sanitary sewerThe cityCity of Brooklyn CenterCity of Brooklyn Center · Jul 21, 2025
- Storm drainageThe cityCity of Brooklyn CenterCity of Brooklyn Center · Jul 21, 2025
- Street lightingThe cityCity of Brooklyn CenterCity of Brooklyn Center · Jul 21, 2025
- RecyclingThe cityCity of Brooklyn Center recycling utilityCity of Brooklyn Center · Jul 21, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of Brooklyn Center Public WorksCity of Brooklyn Center · Dec 1, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Brooklyn CenterCity of Brooklyn Center · Jul 21, 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 | FridleyMN | Brooklyn CenterMN | RosemountMN | SavageMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 30,829 | 31,846 | 31,881 | 32,970 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $170,040 | Not confirmed | $196,997 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $11,493 | $7,900 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $842 | $957 | $696 | $801 |
| Debt per resident | $2,258 | $1,768 | $3,466 | $942 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $255 | $294 | $181 | $226 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.4 | — | 3.5 | 4.5 |
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).
What Brooklyn Center publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Audited financial report filed on timeThe 2024 audit was presented in draft on July 21, 2025, after the June 30 state deadline. The 2025 audit was still being completed in August 2026. City of Brooklyn Center · Jul 28, 2025
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe interim city manager's 2026 contract, with salary and benefits, is in the March 9, 2026 council packet. City of Brooklyn Center · Mar 9, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentA June 2026 Financial Commission packet lists 2026 mayor and council salaries and proposed 2027 and 2028 amounts. City of Brooklyn Center · Jun 22, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget and audit report give department totals only. The city's website, which links to an annual salary page, blocked our requests. City of Brooklyn Center · Jun 18, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The preliminary 2027 budget raises the general fund levy 9.13%, to $27.59 million, and adds five positions. Which costs drive most of that increase?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $14.56 million at the end of 2024, and policy targets 50% to 52% of the next year's budget. How will the 2027 budget keep reserves in that range?
- The 2024 audit was presented on July 21, 2025, after the June 30 state deadline, and the 2025 audit was still being completed in August 2026. When will the 2025 report be filed?
- Police, at $11,996,040, is the largest general fund cost in the 2026 budget of $30,469,168. What service levels does that pay for?
The fiscal year starts January 1. Budget work begins in April, and staff present budget information to the council and Financial Commission from June through November. The council took up the preliminary 2027 levy and budget on September 28, 2026, for certification to Hennepin County. The Truth in Taxation hearing and final budget and levy adoption are set for December 14, 2026. See who is running for council
Help decide what comes next
What do you want to know about Brooklyn Center next?
One tap, no sign-in. We count answers; we never show who chose what.
Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
See something wrong? Report an error
Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.