How Chaska is run
Who runs Chaska, 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 Chaska's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Chaska
The elected mayor heads the city government and appoints its top administrator and department heads. The council passes laws, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Chaska city staff
264 full-time-equivalent positions. 2025-12-31. Full-time equivalent employees at the end of 2025 in the financial report's statistical section, including the electric, water and sewer utilities, community center, golf courses and curling center. Up from 256.6 a year earlier. City of Chaska · Jun 30, 2026
The city posts the base salaries of its three highest-paid jobs. We found no list of individual employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Chaska 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 uses a five-year financial forecast for its general fund. The 2026 budget was the last of four years of levy increases to pay for renovating or replacing four city buildings, all due to be done by the end of 2030. For 2027, staff proposed a maximum levy of $25.3 million, which would add $57 a year to the city tax on a median-valued home. City of Chaska · Sep 14, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $4.2M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: The city aims for a general fund balance of about 40% of the general fund budget and budgets $300,000 a year to build reserves. Total general fund balance was $7.7 million at the end of 2025, including $1.5 million committed for working capital and reserve needs. City of Chaska · Jun 30, 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$18.6M · 51%
- Electric and gas franchise fees (mostly from the city's electric utility)$6.4M · 17%
- Administrative charges to other city funds$5.6M · 15%
- Licenses and permits$1.8M · 5%
- Other (other franchise fees and miscellaneous revenue)$4M · 11%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$8.1M · 22%
- Building Improvement Program and other citywide costs$5.7M · 16%
- Fire$3.8M · 10%
- Streets$3.2M · 9%
- Finance$2.2M · 6%
- Park maintenance$1.9M · 5%
- Information services$1.5M · 4%
- Other (administration, recreation, inspections, engineering, buildings, council, reserves)$10.2M · 28%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Minnesota property taxes are mostly set as a rate on a property's tax capacity. Not all overlapping rates apply to every property in the city. This split leaves out voter-approved school levies charged on market value.
39¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Chaska
- City of Chaska38.886 · 38%
- Carver County30.934 · 31%
- School District 11227.552 · 27%
- Special districts (Metropolitan Council, transit, watershed, mosquito control, rail authority)1.838 · 2%
- Carver County Community Development Agency1.48 · 1%
- Chaska Economic Development Authority0.43 · <1%
- Total (percent of tax capacity)101.119
2025 tax capacity rates for property in Chaska (Carver County). City of Chaska · Jun 30, 2026
See what a Chaska house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Chaska is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- FireThe cityChaska Fire DepartmentThe 2026 budget adds overnight duty crews.City of Chaska · Jun 30, 2026
- Building inspectionsThe cityCity building inspectionsCity of Chaska · Jun 30, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity public worksCity of Chaska · Jun 30, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity parks and recreationCity of Chaska · Jun 30, 2026
- ElectricityThe cityChaska Electric (city utility)Parts of the city are served by Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative.City of Chaska · Jun 30, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityCity of Chaska · Jun 30, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity sewer utilityCity of Chaska · Jun 30, 2026
- Storm waterThe cityCity storm water utilityCity of Chaska · Jun 30, 2026
- Community center, golf and curlingThe cityCity-run enterprisesTwo golf courses and a curling and event center.City of Chaska · Jun 30, 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 | RamseyMN | ChaskaMN | OakdaleMN | FridleyMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 29,624 | 30,513 | 30,588 | 30,829 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $208,079 | $196,664 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not current (2005) | Not confirmed | $9,600 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $769 | $1,198 | $764 | $842 |
| Debt per resident | $1,183 | $5,032 | $1,676 | $2,258 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $179 | $341 | $255 | $255 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.1 | 8.6 | 4.4 | 5.4 |
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 Chaska publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe 2026 budget book is on the city's budget page. The adopting resolution is in the December 15, 2025 council packet. City of Chaska · Oct 10, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no City Administrator employment agreement online. The city posts only his base salary on its Salary Data page. City of Chaska · Oct 10, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no mayor or council pay on the council page, in the 2026 budget book or in the 2026 budget resolution. City of Chaska · Oct 10, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Chaska · Oct 10, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Total general fund balance was $7.7 million at the end of 2025, including $1.5 million committed for working capital and reserve needs, against a target of about 40% of the budget. When does the city expect to reach that target?
- Staff proposed a maximum 2027 levy of $25.3 million, adding $57 a year for a median-valued home. Which services grow fastest now that the building program levy increases have ended?
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