How Columbia Heights is run
Who runs Columbia Heights, 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 Columbia Heights's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Columbia Heights
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
- Eligible for the city's medical, dental and life insurance programs
Columbia Heights city staff
The audited report counts 221 permanent employees at the end of 2025, a head count that includes part-time and paid on-call staff, not full-time equivalents. We found no published pay plan or employee pay list. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Columbia Heights 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 proposed 2027 general fund budget is $21.7 million in spending against $22.4 million in revenue. The gross city levy would rise 5.3%, about 4.1% for local taxpayers. The budget plans a $660,000 surplus beyond the 45% reserve target toward replacing the Municipal Service Center. City of Columbia Heights · Aug 25, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $10.7M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: Council Resolution 95-40 sets a year-end target for general fund balance of 45% of the next year's budgeted spending. At December 31, 2025, general fund balance equaled 51% of spending budgeted for 2026. The city meets this target. City of Columbia Heights · Jun 25, 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, local levy$14.2M · 67%
- Property taxes, metro area fiscal disparities (area-wide tax)$4.1M · 19%
- Charges for services$765,900 · 4%
- Intergovernmental (grants and aids other than LGA)$751,500 · 4%
- Transfers in$742,300 · 3%
- Licenses and permits$408,900 · 2%
- Other (miscellaneous, fines)$339,900 · 2%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$8M · 38%
- Fire$2.4M · 12%
- Transfers to other funds$1.6M · 8%
- Streets$1.4M · 7%
- Parks$1.3M · 6%
- Finance$1.2M · 6%
- Other (engineering, recreation, city manager, inspections, other)$5M · 24%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Minnesota property taxes are mostly set as a rate on a property's tax capacity. Special district rates apply only to property inside each district. This split leaves out voter-approved school levies charged on market value.
55¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Columbia Heights
- City of Columbia Heights72.748 · 55%
- Anoka County28.545 · 22%
- School District 1321.668 · 17%
- Special districts (Metropolitan Council, watersheds, HRA, others)8.187 · 6%
- Total (percent of tax capacity)131.148
2025 tax capacity rates for property in Columbia Heights (Anoka County, ISD 13). City of Columbia Heights · Jun 25, 2026
See what a Columbia Heights home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Columbia Heights is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityColumbia Heights Police DepartmentAlso serves the City of Hilltop.City of Columbia Heights · Dec 8, 2025
- Fire and emergency medical servicesThe cityColumbia Heights Fire DepartmentAlso serves the City of Hilltop.City of Columbia Heights · Dec 8, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityThe city buys its water from the City of Minneapolis and resells it to residents.City of Columbia Heights · Dec 8, 2025
- SewerThe cityCity sewer utilityTreatment is by Metropolitan Council Environmental Services, paid for by the city.City of Columbia Heights · Dec 8, 2025
- Trash and recyclingContractorContracted haulers, managed by the city refuse fundCity of Columbia Heights · Dec 8, 2025
- LibraryThe cityColumbia Heights Public LibraryCity of Columbia Heights · Dec 8, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity public worksCity of Columbia Heights · Jun 25, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity parks and recreationCity of Columbia Heights · Jun 25, 2026
- Liquor storesThe cityCity of Columbia Heights (Top Valu Liquor)The city runs three off-sale liquor stores.City of Columbia Heights · Jun 25, 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 | New BrightonMN | CrystalMN | Columbia HeightsMN | St MichaelMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 22,159 | 22,239 | 22,482 | 22,498 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $204,100 | Not current (2023) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $7,000 | $8,170 | $10,800 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,156 | $1,180 | $929 | $535 |
| Debt per resident | $1,240 | $323 | $1,250 | $606 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $258 | $262 | $289 | $51 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 6.4 | 4.4 | — | 1.5 |
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). St Michael pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Columbia Heights 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 Columbia Heights · Oct 10, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no employment agreement or pay document for the city manager in the city's posted packets or budget. City of Columbia Heights · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes name each member's vote on split votes, such as 3 Ayes, 1 Nay, and note All Ayes on unanimous votes. City of Columbia Heights · Jul 27, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of Columbia Heights · Jan 12, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget shows personnel costs by department and cost-of-living raises, but we found no published pay plan or employee pay list. City of Columbia Heights · Dec 8, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- The proposed 2027 budget sets aside $660,000 beyond the 45% reserve target toward replacing the Municipal Service Center. How much of the project will be borrowed, with bond debt at $28.1 million at the end of 2025?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $10.7 million at the end of 2025, 51% of 2026 budgeted spending against a 45% target. How much of the amount above the target will go to the Municipal Service Center?
- The proposed 2027 gross city levy rises 5.3%, about 4.1% for local taxpayers. Which costs drive the increase?
- Police is the largest line in the $20.9 million 2026 general fund budget. How is the cost of serving Hilltop shared?
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