How Cambridge is run
Who runs Cambridge, 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 Cambridge's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Cambridge
Cambridge is a statutory city. The mayor and four council members, all elected at large, set policy and the budget. The council appoints a city administrator, who has operating responsibility for all city functions.
What they are paid
Cambridge city staff
The City Administrator told the council in April 2026 that the city has up to 62 full-time and 112 total employees, counting paid on call firefighters, seasonal and part-time staff. Hiring letters in council packets show steps of the city wage scale; we found no list of individual pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Cambridge 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's 10-year levy plan proposes a 2027 total levy of $7,621,100, up 2.00%, then 13.13% in 2028 and 23.83% in 2029 as street and garage debt starts. Staff recommend using about $670,000 of one-time excess funds to prefund capital transfers. City of Cambridge · Sep 8, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $3.5M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: Keep a cash flow reserve of 30% to 50% of the next year's general fund levy and state aid, plus 5% of next year's spending for emergencies. The auditor put the cash flow reserve at $2,902,950 at the end of 2025, 37% of the 2026 levy and aid. City of Cambridge · Apr 20, 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.
Comes from
- Property taxes$6.3M · 66%
- State and other government aid$1.9M · 20%
- Transfers in (mostly from the liquor store)$565,000 · 6%
- Building and other permits$333,000 · 3%
- Public safety charges$177,635 · 2%
- Miscellaneous$142,515 · 1%
- Other (business licenses, fines, other charges)$139,000 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$3.7M · 39%
- Street maintenance$2M · 21%
- Community development$855,286 · 9%
- Parks and recreation$724,859 · 8%
- Finance$593,474 · 6%
- Administration$536,860 · 6%
- Fire$524,543 · 5%
- Other (city hall, library, legal, council, transfers out)$666,086 · 7%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Cambridge is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCambridge Police DepartmentCity of Cambridge · Apr 7, 2026
- FireThe cityCambridge Fire DepartmentIncludes paid on call firefighters.City of Cambridge · Apr 7, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityCity of Cambridge · Apr 7, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity wastewater utilityCity of Cambridge · Apr 7, 2026
- Storm sewerThe cityCity storm water utilityCity of Cambridge · Apr 7, 2026
- Streets and street lightingThe cityCity public worksCity of Cambridge · Apr 7, 2026
- ParksThe cityCity public worksCity of Cambridge · Apr 7, 2026
- Liquor storeThe cityNorthbound Liquor, the city's municipal liquor storeCity of Cambridge · Apr 7, 2026
- AirportThe cityCity airportCity of Cambridge · Apr 7, 2026
- HousingThe cityCity housing department (Bridge Park Apartments, 45 units)City of Cambridge · Mar 16, 2026
- SchoolsSeparate districtCambridge-Isanti Schools (ISD 911)City of Cambridge · Apr 7, 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 | Little CanadaMN | CambridgeMN | DaytonMN | Mendota HeightsMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,567 | 11,090 | 11,402 | 11,475 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $169,333 | Not confirmed | $192,000 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $6,250 | Not confirmed | $4,968 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $572 | $869 | $814 | $1,217 |
| Debt per resident | $180 | $2,529 | $1,446 | $1,888 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $61 | $244 | $184 | $255 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | — | — | 4.8 |
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). Little Canada pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Cambridge 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 onlineWe found no City Administrator contract on the finance page or in 2026 council packets. City of Cambridge · May 3, 2026
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes record roll call votes by name for some items; most motions are noted as all voted aye. City of Cambridge · Sep 21, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget shows one combined Mayor and Council line. We found no ordinance or schedule stating member pay. City of Cambridge · Dec 1, 2025
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Cambridge · Sep 21, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The 10-year levy plan shows the total levy rising 2.00% in 2027, then 13.13% in 2028 and 23.83% in 2029. What drives the jump after 2027?
- The cash flow reserve was $2,902,950 at the end of 2025, 37% of the 2026 levy and aid, inside the 30% to 50% policy. How will the planned draws on fund balance affect it?
- Bonds totaled about $28.0 million at the end of 2025, part of it repaid from the local sales tax. How long will the local sales tax keep covering those payments?
Help decide what comes next
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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?
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