How Faribault is run
Who runs Faribault, 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 Faribault's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Faribault
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
- Severance of six months of salary and benefits if dismissed without cause
- $450 a month vehicle allowance
- 20 days of vacation a year
- $5,000 relocation payment for moving to Faribault in the first year
Faribault city staff
161 full-time-equivalent positions. 2025-12-31. Full-time equivalent employees on December 31, 2025, from the ACFR statistical section. City of Faribault · Jun 9, 2026
We found no list of individual employee pay or a posted wage schedule. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Faribault 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.
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $10.8M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance between 35 and 50 percent of the next year's budgeted spending. At the end of 2025 it equaled about 45 percent of the 2026 general fund budget. City of Faribault · Jun 9, 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
- Taxes$12.8M · 52%
- Intergovernmental (state aid)$8.5M · 35%
- Charges for services$1.7M · 7%
- Permits and licenses$744,410 · 3%
- Miscellaneous$304,173 · 1%
- Other$377,700 · 2%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Faribault is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityFaribault Police DepartmentCity of Faribault · Jun 9, 2026
- FireThe cityFaribault Fire and Code ServicesCity of Faribault · Jun 9, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of FaribaultCity of Faribault · Jun 9, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of FaribaultCity of Faribault · Jun 9, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Faribault Public WorksCity of Faribault · Jun 9, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of FaribaultCity of Faribault · Jun 9, 2026
- LibraryThe cityBuckham Memorial Library (city)City of Faribault · Apr 22, 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 | OtsegoMN | FaribaultMN | FarmingtonMN | WinonaMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 24,525 | 25,040 | 25,425 | 26,530 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $194,480 | $172,162 | $204,208 | $183,750 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $9,800 | Not confirmed | $7,705 |
| General fund per resident | $449 | $976 | $741 | $937 |
| Debt per resident | $2,859 | $971 | $496 | $324 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $53 | $262 | $190 | $307 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 1.8 | 6.4 | 4.1 | 6.6 |
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). Otsego pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Faribault publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Audited financial report filed on timeThe 2025 report, with an audit opinion dated June 9, 2026, is posted on the city's financial documents page. City of Faribault · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes name members voting no and list roll call votes by name. City of Faribault · Dec 9, 2025
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineAgendas, packets and minutes are posted online, and meetings stream on the city's YouTube channel. City of Faribault · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentCity code Sec. 2-7 sets yearly salaries for the mayor and council members. Faribault Code of Ordinances, Sec. 2-7, Salary of mayor and council members (Municode) · Sep 22, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedWe found no employee pay list or wage schedule on the city's financial documents page. City of Faribault · Oct 10, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $10,809,648 at December 31, 2025, about 45 percent of the 2026 budget, inside the 35 to 50 percent policy range. What is the plan for the amount above the 35 percent floor?
- Taxes are $12,778,282 of the $24,428,099 general fund budget for 2026. How much of the increase over 2025 pays for wages and insurance?
- The city reports $6,565,273 in net pension liability and $24,313,857 in bonded debt. How will debt payments change after 2027?
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