How Ramsey is run
Who runs Ramsey, 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 Ramsey's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Ramsey
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
Ramsey city staff
123 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police officers 30, General government 27, Fire 15. FY2025. City of Ramsey · Jun 3, 2026
The budget shows staff counts by department. The city posts the salaries of its three highest-paid employees but no full pay list. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Ramsey 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: $14.4M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance equal to 50% of the next year's adopted operating budget, plus prior-year encumbrances. Money above that goes to equipment, capital maintenance, facilities and public improvement funds. City of Ramsey · Jun 3, 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$18.2M · 80%
- Transfers in from other funds$1.8M · 8%
- Licenses and permits$992,850 · 4%
- State and federal aid$845,500 · 4%
- Charges for services$808,700 · 4%
- Other (investment earnings, fines and miscellaneous)$144,050 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$6.7M · 30%
- General government$5.8M · 25%
- Public works (streets, snow removal, engineering)$3.9M · 17%
- Parks and recreation$2.6M · 11%
- Fire$2.4M · 11%
- Building inspections$925,013 · 4%
- Other (contingency, traffic engineering, civil defense and other)$456,343 · 2%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Minnesota property taxes are mostly set as a rate on a property's tax capacity. This split is for the Anoka-Hennepin school district; the part of Ramsey in the Elk River district pays 25.252% for schools instead. It leaves out voter-approved school levies charged on market value.
49¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Ramsey
- City of RamseyGeneral operating levy 39.905% and debt service levy 6.309%.46.214 · 49%
- Anoka County30.245 · 32%
- Anoka-Hennepin School District (ISD 11)13.598 · 15%
- Other districts (Metropolitan Council, transit, mosquito control, county rail authority)3.59 · 4%
- Total (percent of tax capacity)93.647
Taxes payable 2025 tax capacity rates for property in Ramsey (Anoka County). City of Ramsey · Jun 3, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Ramsey is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityRamsey Police DepartmentCity of Ramsey · Dec 9, 2025
- Fire and emergency medical callsThe cityRamsey Fire Department (paid-on-call firefighters)Over 50 paid-on-call members who are state-certified firefighters and licensed EMS providers.City of Ramsey · Oct 10, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityPublic water and sewer utilities serve the urban service areas.City of Ramsey · Jun 3, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity sewer utilityPublic water and sewer utilities serve the urban service areas.City of Ramsey · Jun 3, 2026
- RecyclingContractorACE Solid Waste, under contract with the cityEach household is charged $3.98 a month, billed with city utilities.City of Ramsey · Oct 10, 2026
- TrashPrivate companyLicensed private haulers chosen by residentsCity of Ramsey · Oct 10, 2026
- Streets and snow removalThe cityCity of RamseyCity of Ramsey · Dec 9, 2025
- Parks and trailsThe cityCity of RamseyCity of Ramsey · Dec 9, 2025
- Property assessingThe countyAnoka County, under contractCity of Ramsey · Dec 9, 2025
- Building inspectionsThe cityCity of RamseyCity of Ramsey · Jun 3, 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 | RamseyMN | ChaskaMN | OakdaleMN | FridleyMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 29,624 | 30,513 | 30,588 | 30,829 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $208,079 | $196,664 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not current (2005) | Not confirmed | $9,600 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $769 | $1,198 | $764 | $842 |
| Debt per resident | $1,183 | $5,032 | $1,676 | $2,258 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $179 | $341 | $255 | $255 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.1 | 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 Ramsey 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 Ramsey · Dec 9, 2025
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe hiring resolution refers to an employment agreement dated June 14, 2022. We did not find the agreement posted. City of Ramsey · Jun 14, 2022
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe council page posts agendas and minutes. Meetings air live on QCTV Channel 16, and recordings are on QCTV's website. City of Ramsey · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentOrdinance 04-33 sets the mayor's pay at $8,000 a year and each council member's at $6,000. City of Ramsey · Aug 24, 2004
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe city posts the base salaries of its three highest-paid employees. We found no full pay list. City of Ramsey · Oct 10, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $14.4 million at the end of 2025. The policy sets them at 50% of the next year's operating budget. How is that target measured?
- The city owed $35.1 million in bonds and certificates at the end of 2025. How much more borrowing does the capital plan expect?
- Council pay ($6,000 a year) and mayor pay ($8,000) have not changed since 2005. Should the council revisit them before the 2026 election?
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