How North St. Paul is run
Who runs North St. Paul, 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 St. Paul's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs North St. Paul
North St. Paul is a statutory Plan B city with a council-manager government. The mayor and four council members pass ordinances and adopt the budget. The council hires the city manager, who runs day-to-day operations and hires staff and department heads.
What they are paid
- $450 a month car allowance
- Same health, dental, life and disability insurance as other non-union staff
- Six months' salary in a lump sum if terminated without cause
- City pays professional dues and subscriptions
- 1.5% longevity pay on top of salary since 2025
North St. Paul city staff
63 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (21 officers, 2 civilians) 23, General government 14, Electric utility 10, Fire 4, Streets 4, Parks and recreation 4, Water 4. FY2025. Full-time equivalent employees at the end of 2025, from the audited report's statistical section. Includes 10 in the city's electric utility. City of North St. Paul · May 5, 2026
The city manager's pay is tied to a grade and step wage grid, but we found no published wage grid or employee pay list. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is North St. Paul 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 preliminary 2027 general fund budget is $10,356,319, and the preliminary total levy is $8,947,702, up from $8,415,083 for 2026. In November 2025 the finance director said the city expects levy increases of 8-10% a year for the next nine years to fund a capital plan of about $100 million and current operations. City of North St. Paul · Sep 15, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $6.8M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: The city aims to keep unassigned general fund balance of at least 50% of the next year's budgeted spending. The audited report says the year-end 2025 balance equaled 67% of 2026 budgeted spending. City of North St. Paul · May 5, 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$5.8M · 57%
- Intergovernmental (incl. $1.47M state aid, LGA)$2.2M · 21%
- Transfers from other funds$885,915 · 9%
- Franchise fees and other taxes$525,900 · 5%
- Permits$416,511 · 4%
- Investment, antenna and other income$192,496 · 2%
- Other (licenses, charges for services, fines)$134,761 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$4.8M · 47%
- Fire and code enforcement$1.6M · 16%
- Street maintenance$1.2M · 12%
- Administration$599,663 · 6%
- Parks$500,425 · 5%
- Finance$394,609 · 4%
- Community development$376,360 · 4%
- Other (inspections, urban forestry, council, recreation, elections)$671,974 · 7%
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.
36¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of North St. Paul
- City of North St. PaulGeneral levy 43.586 plus debt levy 5.396.48.982 · 36%
- Ramsey County47.475 · 35%
- School District 622 (North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale)32.002 · 23%
- Special districts8.415 · 6%
- Total (percent of tax capacity)136.874
2025 tax capacity rates for property in North St. Paul (Ramsey County, ISD 622). City of North St. Paul · May 5, 2026
See what a North St. Paul home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in North St. Paul is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityNorth St. Paul Police DepartmentCity of North St. Paul · May 5, 2026
- FireThe cityNorth St. Paul Fire DepartmentCity of North St. Paul · May 5, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe countyRamsey CountyThe city pays Ramsey County for 911 dispatch service.City of North St. Paul · May 5, 2026
- ElectricityThe cityCity electric utilityThe city distributes power bought through the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency.City of North St. Paul · May 5, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityDrawn from five city wells. The utility also serves parts of Maplewood.City of North St. Paul · Oct 10, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity sewer utilityCity of North St. Paul · Oct 10, 2026
- Trash, recycling and yard wasteContractorTennis SanitationContract approved June 2, 2026.City of North St. Paul · Jun 16, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity public worksCity of North St. Paul · May 5, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity parks and recreationCity of North St. Paul · May 5, 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 | VictoriaMN | East BethelMN | North St PaulMN | Big LakeMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 12,447 | 12,605 | 12,780 | 12,929 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $198,000 | Not current (2023) | Not current (2022) | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $5,700 | Not current (2023) | $4,800 |
| General fund per resident | $723 | $591 | $794 | $603 |
| Debt per resident | $3,139 | $1,270 | $2,688 | $1,198 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $99 | $54 | $256 | $183 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.7 | 4.9 | 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). East Bethel and Big Lake pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What North St. Paul publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: Adopted budget posted online City of North St. Paul · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of North St. Paul · Sep 6, 2022
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentA 2021 ordinance sets pay from 2023 at $6,900 a year for the mayor and $5,700 for each council member. City of North St. Paul · Oct 19, 2021
- No: Employee pay publishedThe manager's contract cites a grade and step wage grid, but we found no published wage grid or employee pay list. City of North St. Paul · Dec 17, 2024
Questions to ask your council
- The finance director projects levy increases of 8-10% a year for nine years. The preliminary 2027 levy is $8,947,702, up from $8,415,083. Which capital projects drive the increase?
- Police is $4,773,351 of the $10,149,479 2026 general fund budget. How will staffing and costs change as positions are filled?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $6,792,087 at the end of 2025, 67% of the next year's budget against a 50% goal. How will the city use the amount above its goal?
- Bonded debt was $34.35 million at the end of 2025. How will new street and utility bonds change that total?
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