How St. Cloud is run
Who runs St. Cloud, 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 St. Cloud's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs St. Cloud
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
- No city health insurance for members taking office after 2010
- Five council members are in a state defined contribution plan, with the city matching a 5% contribution
St. Cloud city staff
517 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 152, Fire 93, Water utility 37. FY2026. Budgeted permanent positions in 2026, all funds. City of St. Cloud · Dec 1, 2025
The budget lists positions by job title. We found no city-published pay list for individual employees. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is St. Cloud 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 long-range outlook has general fund personnel, supplies and services costs rising from $73.4 million in 2026 to $86.5 million in 2030. It expects 27.5 more positions in 2027 and beyond to staff Fire Station 6, approved by voters in 2024. The outlook does not say how the city will pay for these increases. City of St. Cloud · Dec 1, 2025
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $28.1M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: Keep assigned and unassigned general fund balance between 35% and 50% of budgeted operating spending, with a target of 50%. Unassigned balance alone was about 42.5% of 2025 general fund spending. City of St. Cloud · Jun 9, 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$40.7M · 54%
- Local Government Aid (state)$15.9M · 21%
- Franchise fees$5.5M · 7%
- Other intergovernmental (grants and aid)$5.2M · 7%
- Charges for services$4.1M · 5%
- Licenses and permits$2.5M · 3%
- Other$1.8M · 2%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$29.2M · 39%
- Fire$17.3M · 23%
- Public works$6.1M · 8%
- Park and recreation$4.2M · 5%
- Health and inspection$2.4M · 3%
- Contingency (budgeted addition to reserves)$2.1M · 3%
- Other$14.6M · 19%
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 Stearns County part of the city. The Benton and Sherburne county parts have different county and school rates. It leaves out voter-approved school levies charged on market value.
45¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of St. Cloud
- City of St. Cloud43.879% operating plus 10.095% debt service.53.974 · 45%
- Stearns County40.468 · 33%
- School district21.666 · 18%
- Transit district2.925 · 2%
- Other (city EDA, housing authority, Northstar rail)2.003 · 2%
- Total (percent of tax capacity)121.036
Taxes payable 2025 tax capacity rates for property in St. Cloud (Stearns County part). City of St. Cloud · Jun 9, 2026
See what a St. Cloud house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in St. Cloud is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySt. Cloud Police DepartmentCity of St. Cloud · Jun 9, 2026
- FireThe citySt. Cloud Fire DepartmentCity of St. Cloud · Jun 9, 2026
- Medical first responseThe citySt. Cloud Fire DepartmentFirefighters give medical first response until ambulance transport is available.City of St. Cloud · Dec 1, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity of St. CloudCity of St. Cloud · Jun 9, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of St. CloudCity of St. Cloud · Jun 9, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of St. CloudCity of St. Cloud · Jun 9, 2026
- Hydroelectric powerThe cityCity of St. CloudCity of St. Cloud · Jun 9, 2026
- TrashThe cityCity of St. CloudCity of St. Cloud · Jun 9, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of St. CloudCity of St. Cloud · Jun 9, 2026
- HousingAnother agencyHousing and Redevelopment Authority of St. CloudCity of St. Cloud · Jun 9, 2026
- Convention centerThe cityCity of St. CloudCity of St. Cloud · Jun 9, 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 | EaganMN | St CloudMN | Maple GroveMN | BlaineMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 67,109 | 72,647 | 73,893 | 76,603 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not current (2022) | Not confirmed | $252,000 | $225,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $12,500 | Not confirmed | $13,462 |
| General fund per resident | $898 | $1,043 | $756 | $697 |
| Debt per resident | $1,040 | $2,612 | $1,525 | $2,283 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $275 | $344 | $202 | $177 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 7.1 | 4.0 | 3.4 |
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). Blaine pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What St. Cloud 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 adopted budget, with department detail and a long-range general fund outlook, is posted. City of St. Cloud · Dec 1, 2025
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineCouncil minutes confirm the city administrator's appointment. We found no employment agreement or salary for the post in city postings. City of St. Cloud · Apr 21, 2025
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineCouncil meeting videos and an archive of council minutes are posted on the city website. City of St. Cloud · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe city code sets council pay at $12,500 a year and $14,000 for the council president. City of St. Cloud Code of Ordinances, Sections 120 and 125 (Municode) · Oct 10, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The 2026 general fund budget is $75.8 million, with $40.7 million from property taxes and $17.3 million for fire. How will residents see what the added fire spending pays for?
- The long-range outlook has general fund operating costs rising from $73.4 million in 2026 to $86.5 million in 2030, plus 27.5 more positions for Fire Station 6. How does the city plan to pay for them?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $28.1 million at the end of 2025, about 42.5% of spending, against a 50% target. What level does the council aim to keep as spending grows?
- The mayor's $50,000 salary and council pay of $12,500 were set in 2016. Will the review panel recommend changes before the 2028 mayoral election?
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