How Plymouth is run
Who runs Plymouth, 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 Plymouth's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Plymouth
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
- 2026 raise of 3% plus a 4% market adjustment
- Accrues 1.25 hours of city manager annual leave per pay period
- Unused leave balances move to a post-employment HRA/VEBA account
Plymouth city staff
324 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2025. Full-time equivalent employees at the end of 2025, from the audit's statistical section. The 2026 budget adds a net 5.5 positions across all funds. City of Plymouth · Jun 15, 2026
The council sets the city manager's salary and the non-union pay plan by resolution. We found no city-published pay list for all employees. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Plymouth 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
Plymouth budgets two years at a time. The preliminary 2027 general fund budget is $62.6 million, up $2 million or 3.3% from 2026, with the total city and HRA levy up 3.9%. The city budgets permit revenue conservatively and usually puts surpluses toward capital needs or early debt payoff. City of Plymouth · Sep 22, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $24.2M (2025-12-31). City of Plymouth · Jun 15, 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$46.5M · 77%
- State and federal aid$4.3M · 7%
- Permits and licenses$3.8M · 6%
- Transfers in from other funds$2M · 3%
- Charges for services$1.7M · 3%
- Billings to other city funds$1.4M · 2%
- Other (interest, fines, contributions and miscellaneous)$900,500 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$21.1M · 35%
- Parks and recreation$10.3M · 17%
- Fire$9.5M · 16%
- Public works$8.5M · 14%
- Community development$4M · 7%
- Administrative services (finance, HR, IT)$3.8M · 6%
- City administration$3.5M · 6%
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 watershed district rates, voter-approved school levies charged on market value and the state general levy on business property.
28¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Plymouth
- City of Plymouth (including HRA)26.13 · 28%
- Hennepin County37.08 · 40%
- School district ISD 284Each property pays only one school district. Plymouth is split among ISD 270, 279, 281 and 284.21 · 23%
- Other districts8.2 · 9%
- Total (percent of tax capacity)92.41
Taxes payable 2025 tax capacity rates for property in Plymouth (Hennepin County, ISD 284 school district). City of Plymouth · Jun 15, 2026
See what a Plymouth home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Plymouth is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityPlymouth Police DepartmentCity of Plymouth · Jun 15, 2026
- FireThe cityPlymouth Fire DepartmentCity of Plymouth · Jun 15, 2026
- StreetsThe cityPlymouth Public WorksCity of Plymouth · Jun 15, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityCity of Plymouth · Jun 15, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity sanitary sewer utilityCity of Plymouth · Jun 15, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityPlymouth Parks and RecreationCity of Plymouth · Jun 15, 2026
- RecyclingThe cityCity solid waste management fundCity of Plymouth · Jun 15, 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 | BlaineMN | PlymouthMN | LakevilleMN | WoodburyMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 76,603 | 78,942 | 79,270 | 81,558 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $225,000 | $248,350 | $261,483 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $13,462 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $697 | $768 | $588 | $762 |
| Debt per resident | $2,283 | $661 | $2,251 | $776 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $177 | $214 | $172 | $197 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 4.8 |
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). Blaine pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Plymouth publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe 2026 budget resolution and fund-by-fund summaries are in the December 9, 2025 council packet. City of Plymouth · Dec 9, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list roll call votes by name, such as the 5-2 vote adopting the 2026 budget. City of Plymouth · Jan 13, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no council pay figure in the budget packet or audit, and the city website could not be read. City of Plymouth · Dec 9, 2025
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Plymouth · Dec 9, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- Police is the largest general fund cost, at $21.1 million in the 2026 budget. What service levels does that amount pay for?
- Fire is budgeted at $9.5 million in 2026, the third-largest general fund cost. What staffing and equipment does that pay for?
- The preliminary 2027 general fund budget is $62.6 million, up 3.3% from 2026, with the levy up 3.9%. Which costs account for most of that increase?
Help decide what comes next
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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