How Crystal is run
Who runs Crystal, 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 Crystal's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Crystal
Crystal uses the council-manager form. The mayor and six council members set policy, adopt the budget and hire the city manager and city attorney. The city manager oversees day-to-day operations.
What they are paid
Crystal city staff
98 full-time-equivalent positions. 2024 ACFR statistical section. Full-time city employees at the end of 2024, including 37 police officers and 5 police civilians. City of Crystal · Jun 6, 2025
The budget and audit report give staff counts only. We found no posted employee pay list or top-salary notice. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Crystal 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 long-term plan projects the tax levy to keep rising to meet service demands and capital needs, and says a levy decrease is not expected. It plans yearly transfers to rebuild general fund reserves. City of Crystal · Dec 2, 2025
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $6.5M (2024-12-31). The city's own target: The long-term plan measures unassigned general fund balance against a policy target of 40% of the budget. The 2024 audit says unassigned balance was slightly less than the city's policy calls for. The city is below this target. City of Crystal · Dec 2, 2025
Bar: unassigned savings of $6.5M. Line: the amount the city's target calls for.
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$20M · 76%
- Intergovernmental (state aid)$3.3M · 13%
- Licenses and permits$945,845 · 4%
- Charges for services$847,800 · 3%
- Transfers in$811,620 · 3%
- Fines and forfeitures$195,600 · 1%
- Other$141,250 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$9.6M · 37%
- Public works (streets, parks, engineering, forestry)$5.4M · 21%
- Recreation (programs, community center, pool)$3.4M · 13%
- Administration$3M · 11%
- Fire (West Metro Fire-Rescue District)$2.5M · 10%
- Other$2.2M · 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 levies charged on market value.
43¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Crystal
- City of Crystal (including HRA levy)49.415 · 43%
- Hennepin County34.681 · 30%
- Robbinsdale ISD 28124.209 · 21%
- Special districts (Met Council, transit, mosquito control, parks, rail authority)7.631 · 7%
- Total (percent of tax capacity)115.936
Taxes payable 2024 tax capacity rates for property in Crystal (Hennepin County, Robbinsdale ISD 281). City of Crystal · Jun 6, 2025
Who provides your services
Not everything in Crystal is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityCity of Crystal Police DepartmentCity of Crystal · Jun 6, 2025
- WaterAnother agencyGolden Valley, Crystal, and New Hope Joint Water CommissionThe commission supplies water purchased from the City of Minneapolis.City of Crystal · Jun 6, 2025
- Sanitary sewerThe cityCity of CrystalCity of Crystal · Jun 6, 2025
- Storm drainageThe cityCity of CrystalCity of Crystal · Jun 6, 2025
- Street lightingThe cityCity of CrystalCity of Crystal · Jun 6, 2025
- Garbage and recyclingAnother agencyHennepin Recycling Group (with Brooklyn Center and New Hope)HRG contracts for collection and recycling and bills the member cities.City of Crystal · Jun 6, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of CrystalCity of Crystal · Jun 6, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of CrystalCity of Crystal · Jun 6, 2025
- Building inspections, planning and zoningThe cityCity of CrystalCity of Crystal · Jun 6, 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 | WillmarMN | New BrightonMN | CrystalMN | Columbia HeightsMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 22,001 | 22,159 | 22,239 | 22,482 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $164,570 | $204,100 | Not current (2023) | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $7,000 | $8,170 | $10,800 |
| General fund per resident | $1,049 | $1,156 | $1,180 | $929 |
| Debt per resident | $4,833 | $1,240 | $323 | $1,250 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $257 | $258 | $262 | $289 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 6.4 | 4.4 | — |
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 Crystal 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 Crystal · Dec 2, 2025
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe city manager page gives his start date but no contract. Only a 2022 news report states his starting salary. City of Crystal · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document Crystal City Code, Section 211 (salaries of elected officials) · Apr 3, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget lists full-time staff counts only. We found no employee pay list or top-salary notice on the city's website. City of Crystal · Dec 2, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- The 2026 general fund budget is up 13.33% and its levy is up 15.52%, and the long-term plan expects more levy increases. Which costs drive most of that growth?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $6.49 million at the end of 2024, below the city's 40% policy target of $8.94 million. How many years will it take to reach the target?
- Police, at $9.64 million, is the largest general fund cost in 2026, about 37% of the $26.23 million budget. What service levels does that pay for?
- Street bonds of $7.18 million at the end of 2024 are scheduled to be paid off by 2033. How will the city pay for street work after that?
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