How Fridley is run
Who runs Fridley, 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 Fridley's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Fridley
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
- Can join a PERA defined contribution retirement plan, with the city matching a 5% contribution
Fridley city staff
165 full-time-equivalent positions. 2025. Full-time equivalent city employees at the end of 2025, up from 138.4 in 2016. City of Fridley · Jun 1, 2026
The audited report counts 165 full-time equivalent employees in 2025. We found no published pay plan or employee pay list. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Fridley 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: $13.2M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: Council policy sets unassigned general fund balance at 35% to 50% of the next year's general fund spending, to carry operations between the two property tax payments each year. For 2026 that range is $9,084,215 to $12,977,450, and the balance at the end of 2025 was above the top of the range. The city meets this target. City of Fridley · Jun 1, 2026
Bar: unassigned savings of $13.2M. 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 and other taxes$17.3M · 67%
- Charges for services$3.3M · 13%
- Intergovernmental (state aid and grants)$2.9M · 11%
- Licenses and permits$1.1M · 4%
- Transfers in from other funds$582,500 · 2%
- Miscellaneous (including investment income)$518,300 · 2%
- Other (fines, special assessments)$242,300 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$10.2M · 39%
- Public works (streets, park maintenance, facilities, fleet, engineering)$5.5M · 21%
- Finance, assessing and information technology$2.2M · 8%
- Fire$2.2M · 8%
- City management, legal, employee resources, clerk and elections$2.2M · 8%
- Community development and inspections$1.7M · 6%
- Recreation$1.2M · 5%
- Other (city council, non-departmental)$830,500 · 3%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Minnesota property taxes are mostly set as a rate on a property's tax capacity. Parts of Fridley are in School Districts 11, 13 and 16 or the Coon Creek watershed, with different totals. This split leaves out voter-approved school levies charged on market value.
37¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Fridley
- City of Fridley44.395 · 37%
- School District 14 (Fridley Public Schools)39.402 · 33%
- Anoka County30.245 · 25%
- Special districts (Rice Creek area)4.884 · 4%
- Total (percent of tax capacity)118.926
2025 tax capacity rates for property in Fridley (Anoka County, ISD 14, Rice Creek watershed). City of Fridley · Jun 1, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Fridley is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityFridley Police Division (Public Safety Department)City of Fridley · Dec 22, 2025
- Fire and emergency responseThe cityFridley Fire Division (Public Safety Department)Responds to fires, medical emergencies, rescues and hazardous material releases.City of Fridley · Dec 22, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityCity of Fridley · Dec 22, 2025
- SewerThe cityCity sanitary sewer utilityWastewater treatment is handled with the Metropolitan Council.City of Fridley · Dec 22, 2025
- Storm waterThe cityCity storm water utilityCity of Fridley · Dec 22, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity public worksCity of Fridley · Jun 1, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity parks and recreationCity of Fridley · Dec 22, 2025
- Nature centerThe citySpringbrook Nature Center (city)City of Fridley · Dec 22, 2025
- Liquor storesThe cityFridley Liquor (city)Two city-run stores with sales of about $6 million a year. Part of the profit goes to the general fund.City of Fridley · Dec 22, 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 | ChaskaMN | OakdaleMN | FridleyMN | Brooklyn CenterMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 30,513 | 30,588 | 30,829 | 31,846 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $196,664 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $170,040 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $9,600 | Not confirmed | $11,493 |
| General fund per resident | $1,198 | $764 | $842 | $957 |
| Debt per resident | $5,032 | $1,676 | $2,258 | $1,768 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $341 | $255 | $255 | $294 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 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 Fridley publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no employment agreement or pay document for the city manager in posted council agendas or the 2026 budget. City of Fridley · Dec 22, 2025
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Fridley · Oct 11, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe 2026 budget shows $42,800 of City Council employee pay in total, but we found no posted document stating each member's pay. City of Fridley · Dec 22, 2025
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget shows personnel costs by division and a 4.0% wage assumption, but we found no posted pay plan or employee pay list. City of Fridley · Dec 22, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $13.2 million at the end of 2025, above the top of the 35% to 50% target range. What will the city do with the amount above the range?
- Police is the largest line in the $26.0 million 2026 general fund budget. How will the planned new firefighter positions affect future budgets?
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