How North Branch is run
Who runs North Branch, 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 North Branch's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs North Branch
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
- Employer pays 7.5% of salary into a deferred compensation plan in year one, then 3%
- Six months of salary as severance if dismissed without cause
- Same health, dental, life and disability insurance as other non-union staff
- Mileage paid for use of his own car on city business
North Branch city staff
We found no published staff count. Hiring offer letters in council packets give union contract salary steps; we found no list of individual pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is North Branch 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: $3.8M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: Keep unrestricted general fund balance at 45% to 55% of the next year's budgeted operating spending. The auditor reported that the balance did not fall within that range at the end of 2025. Unassigned balance equaled 39.6% of 2025 general fund spending. The city is below this target. City of North Branch · Jun 2, 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 and other taxes$6.7M · 70%
- State and federal aid (mostly Local Government Aid)$1.7M · 17%
- Transfers from other funds$588,833 · 6%
- Licenses and permits$377,050 · 4%
- Interest, rents and reimbursements$154,000 · 2%
- Charges for services$101,800 · 1%
- Fines and forfeits$17,000 · 0%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$3.1M · 33%
- Other (administration, finance, technology, council, planning, transfers and debt)$2.4M · 25%
- Street maintenance$2.2M · 23%
- Fire$756,433 · 8%
- Parks$443,260 · 5%
- Building department$385,136 · 4%
- City facilities$160,695 · 2%
- Library support$110,536 · 1%
Who provides your services
Not everything in North Branch is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityNorth Branch Police DepartmentOfficers are dispatched through the Chisago County Sheriff's Office.City of North Branch · Oct 10, 2026
- FireThe cityNorth Branch Fire Department28 paid-on-call firefighters. The department also serves parts of three neighboring townships.City of North Branch · Oct 10, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityTwo treatment plants and 4 million gallons of storage.City of North Branch · Oct 10, 2026
- Sewer and wastewater treatmentThe cityCity wastewater utilityThe city plant treats about 400,000 gallons a day.City of North Branch · Oct 10, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity public worksCity of North Branch · Dec 9, 2025
- ParksThe cityCity public worksCity of North Branch · Dec 9, 2025
- Liquor storesThe cityNorth Branch Municipal Liquors (city-owned)Store profits go to city projects and programs.City of North Branch · Oct 10, 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 | North BranchMN | VictoriaMN | East BethelMN | North St PaulMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 12,398 | 12,447 | 12,605 | 12,780 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $160,000 | $198,000 | Not current (2023) | Not current (2022) |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $5,700 | Not current (2023) |
| General fund per resident | $771 | $723 | $591 | $794 |
| Debt per resident | $1,102 | $3,139 | $1,270 | $2,688 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $183 | $99 | $54 | $256 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 2.9 | 1.7 | 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). East Bethel pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What North Branch publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of North Branch · Dec 9, 2025
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no council pay figure in the budget, financial reports or council packets. The budget shows only a department total. City of North Branch · Aug 26, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay publishedHiring offer letters in council packets cite union contract salary steps. We found no published list of staff pay. City of North Branch · Oct 8, 2024
Questions to ask your council
- General fund spending was $9,667,442 in 2025 against $8,819,702 in revenue, and the fund balance fell $702,942. How much of the 2026 budget relies on one-time transfers like the $588,833 from other funds?
- Unrestricted fund balance was below the city's 45% to 55% target at the end of 2025. What is the plan to bring it back into range?
The fiscal year starts January 1. Department budgets are compiled May through July and the council holds work sessions in August and September. The council set the preliminary 2027 levy on September 9, 2026. The Truth in Taxation meeting is set for December 9, 2026, with budget adoption in December. The 2026 budget and levy were adopted December 9, 2025. See who is running for council
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