How Rochester is run
Who runs Rochester, 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 Rochester's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Rochester
The elected mayor heads the city government and appoints its top administrator and department heads. The council passes laws, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
- Accrued paid time off paid out on leaving, as for department heads
- Salary adjusted at the same intervals as department heads
- Pension contributions: $25,958 budgeted for the council in 2026
Rochester city staff
989 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 187, Fire 112, Electric utility 194. FY2024. City of Rochester · Jun 18, 2025
The budget shows salary totals by department. We found no city-published pay list for individual employees. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Rochester 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 city's six-year forecast has general fund spending rising from $137.6 million in 2026 to $178.4 million in 2031. Budget changes cut the predicted 2026 levy increase from 10.68% to 5.9%. The council adopted a 5.95% increase, to $118.3 million. City of Rochester · Dec 2, 2025
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $53.8M (2024-12-31). The city's own target: Keep unrestricted general fund balance (committed, assigned and unassigned) at no less than five months, or 42%, of annual operating spending. At the end of 2024 it was 50.2% of spending. Unassigned balance alone was 48%. The city meets this target. City of Rochester · Jun 18, 2025
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$82.2M · 60%
- Miscellaneous revenue$20.6M · 15%
- Licenses and permits$10.2M · 7%
- Intergovernmental (state and federal aid)$8.7M · 6%
- Charges for services$7.7M · 6%
- Other taxes$7.3M · 5%
- Other$719,635 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$41.9M · 30%
- Fire$25M · 18%
- General government$23.9M · 17%
- Street maintenance$10.8M · 8%
- Building safety$8.3M · 6%
- Economic development$5.1M · 4%
- Other$22.6M · 16%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Minnesota property taxes are mostly set as a rate on a property's tax capacity. This split uses the highest school district rate in the city and leaves out voter-approved school levies charged on market value.
38¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Rochester
- City of Rochester49.189% operating plus 2.042% debt service.51.231 · 38%
- Olmsted County42.632 · 32%
- School districtRates for School Districts 531, 534 and 535 ranged from 18.237% to 40.167%.40.167 · 30%
- Total (percent of tax capacity)134.03
Taxes payable 2025 tax capacity rates for property in Rochester (Olmsted County), in the highest-rate school district area. City of Rochester · Jun 18, 2025
See what a Rochester home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Rochester is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityRochester Police DepartmentCity of Rochester · Jun 18, 2025
- FireThe cityRochester Fire DepartmentCity of Rochester · Jun 18, 2025
- StreetsThe cityCity of RochesterCity of Rochester · Jun 18, 2025
- ElectricityThe cityRochester Public UtilitiesCity-owned utility governed by a five-member board under the city charter.Rochester Public Utilities · Apr 3, 2026
- WaterThe cityRochester Public UtilitiesRochester Public Utilities · Apr 3, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of RochesterCity of Rochester · Jun 18, 2025
- Storm waterThe cityCity of RochesterCity of Rochester · Jun 18, 2025
- LibraryThe cityRochester Public LibraryCity of Rochester · Jun 18, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of RochesterCity of Rochester · Jun 18, 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 | LakevilleMN | WoodburyMN | Brooklyn ParkMN | RochesterMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 79,270 | 81,558 | 83,543 | 124,292 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $261,483 | Not confirmed | $249,379 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $12,578 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $588 | $762 | $972 | $1,107 |
| Debt per resident | $2,251 | $776 | $291 | $2,298 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $172 | $197 | $304 | $445 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 3.6 | 4.8 | 7.1 | 8.0 |
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 Rochester publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Rochester · Dec 2, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list the mover, seconder and each member's aye or nay vote. City of Rochester · Dec 11, 2023
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineCouncil meeting videos, agendas, packets and minutes are posted in the city's Granicus archive. City of Rochester · Oct 10, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget states $399,256 in combined council salaries for 2026. We found no readable copy of the salary ordinance. City of Rochester · Dec 2, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- In 2024 general fund spending of $112.0 million exceeded revenue of $105.0 million, and $18.6 million in transfers in closed the gap. How much does the general fund rely on those transfers each year?
- The six-year forecast has general fund spending rising from $137.6 million in 2026 to $178.4 million in 2031. How does the city plan to pay for that growth?
- The 2026 general fund budget includes $41.9 million for police and $25.0 million for fire, out of $137.6 million. What service levels does that spending pay for?
- Unrestricted general fund balance was 50.2% of spending at the end of 2024, above the 42% target. How does the council decide what to do with the balance above the target?
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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