How Coon Rapids is run
Who runs Coon Rapids, 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 Coon Rapids's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Coon Rapids
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
- $5,000 a year city contribution to his deferred compensation plan
- $500 a month car allowance
Coon Rapids city staff
308 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (full-time) 86, Fire (full-time) 36. FY2025. 251 full-time employees plus 57 full-time equivalent part-time employees in 2025. City of Coon Rapids · May 22, 2026
The budget shows salary totals by account and department. We found no city-published pay list for individual employees. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Coon Rapids 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 keeps a five-year financial plan. It projects general fund spending rising 3.0% a year and sets the property tax levy to cover the gap between spending and other revenue. The 2026 budget adds $165,613 to fund balance. City of Coon Rapids · Dec 2, 2025
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $20.7M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance of at least 45% of the next year's budgeted spending and transfers out. The city meets this target. City of Coon Rapids · May 22, 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$32.6M · 71%
- Utility franchise taxes$4.2M · 9%
- Intergovernmental aid$3.2M · 7%
- Charges for services$2.5M · 5%
- Licenses and permits$2.1M · 5%
- Other$1.3M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$16.9M · 37%
- Public works$8.3M · 18%
- Fire$7.4M · 16%
- City manager's department$3.5M · 8%
- Community and recreation$3M · 7%
- Community development$2.6M · 6%
- Other (finance, legal, city clerk)$3.7M · 8%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Minnesota property taxes are mostly set as a rate on a property's tax capacity. This split leaves out voter-approved school levies charged on market value.
45¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Coon Rapids
- City of Coon Rapids39.534 · 45%
- Anoka County30.245 · 34%
- Anoka-Hennepin School District 1113.598 · 15%
- Special districts4.885 · 6%
- Total (percent of tax capacity)88.262
Taxes payable 2025 tax capacity rates for property in Coon Rapids (Anoka County). City of Coon Rapids · May 22, 2026
See what a Coon Rapids house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Coon Rapids is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCoon Rapids Police DepartmentCity of Coon Rapids · May 22, 2026
- FireThe cityCoon Rapids Fire DepartmentThree stations staffed by career firefighters around the clock.City of Coon Rapids · Oct 10, 2026
- Emergency medical responseThe cityCoon Rapids Fire DepartmentAll career firefighters are trained EMTs.City of Coon Rapids · Oct 10, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Coon RapidsCity of Coon Rapids · May 22, 2026
- Sewer and storm waterThe cityCity of Coon RapidsCity of Coon Rapids · May 22, 2026
- SchoolsSeparate districtAnoka-Hennepin Independent School District 11City of Coon Rapids · Dec 2, 2025
- Streets and snow removalThe cityCity of Coon RapidsAbout 220 miles of streets.City of Coon Rapids · Dec 2, 2025
- ParksThe cityCity of Coon Rapids50 parks covering over 900 acres.City of Coon Rapids · Dec 2, 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 | Eden PrairieMN | Coon RapidsMN | BurnsvilleMN | EaganMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 63,075 | 64,193 | 65,244 | 67,109 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $253,864 | $243,650 | Not current (2022) | Not current (2022) |
| Council member pay | $14,137 | Not current (2022) | $18,000 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,014 | $706 | $1,047 | $898 |
| Debt per resident | $746 | $1,233 | $1,866 | $1,040 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $256 | $238 | $322 | $275 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.7 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 4.9 |
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 Coon Rapids publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe full 2026 adopted budget, a budget in brief and the 2027 proposed budget are posted on the city budget page. City of Coon Rapids · Dec 2, 2025
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineCouncil meeting videos are posted on the city website and minutes are posted in the city's archive. City of Coon Rapids · Oct 6, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of Brooklyn Park · Jan 1, 2022
Questions to ask your council
- The 2026 general fund budget is $45.3 million, up 5.74% from 2025, mainly for personnel. Which costs drove the increase?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $20.7 million at the end of 2025, 45.21% of the next year's budget against a 45% policy. How would the city respond if a year ends below the target?
- The city owed $79.1 million in bonds and similar debt at the end of 2025. How much more borrowing does the capital plan expect?
- Police take $16.9 million of the 2026 general fund budget. What service levels does that spending pay for?
The fiscal year starts January 1. The council reviews the proposed budget in August, adopts a preliminary levy in September, holds the Truth in Taxation hearing in early December, and the city certifies the final levy in late December. The 2026 budget and levy were adopted December 2, 2025. See who is running for council
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