How St. Michael is run
Who runs St. Michael, 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. Michael's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs St. Michael
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
St. Michael city staff
33 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2025. Full-time equivalent city employees in 2025 from the audited report. Police are not city staff: the city contracts with Wright County for police services. City of St. Michael · May 20, 2026
The budget shows wage lines by department. We found no published pay plan or list of employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is St. Michael 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 2027 preliminary budget raises the overall levy 4.95% to $10,402,509. It adds three positions, and the Sheriff patrol contract rises $191,992 with more coverage hours. The 2026 budget projected the general fund balance would decline as Public Safety Aid is used but still meet the 50% policy. City of St. Michael · Aug 25, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $6.8M (2025-12-31). City of St. Michael · May 20, 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 FY2025.
Comes from
- Property taxes$8.4M · 70%
- Licenses and permits$1.9M · 16%
- Intergovernmental (state aid)$783,640 · 7%
- Investment earnings$449,977 · 4%
- Franchise and other taxes$253,780 · 2%
- Charges for services$244,893 · 2%
- Other (donations, assessments, other)$10,986 · 0%
Goes to (FY2025)
- Street maintenance$3.4M · 28%
- Transfers to other funds$2.1M · 17%
- Police (Wright County Sheriff contract)$1.7M · 13%
- Park maintenance$1.3M · 11%
- Fire protection$827,152 · 7%
- Building inspections$673,134 · 5%
- Other general government$480,734 · 4%
- Other (administration, finance, assessing, planning, senior center, library, other)$1.9M · 16%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Minnesota property taxes are mostly set as a rate on a property's tax capacity. Parts of the city are in the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose or Elk River school districts, which have different rates. This split leaves out voter-approved school levies charged on market value.
27¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of St. Michael
- City of St. Michael26.821 · 27%
- St. Michael EDA0.44 · <1%
- Wright County35.563 · 36%
- St. Michael-Albertville School District35.663 · 36%
- Total (percent of tax capacity)98.487
2025 tax capacity rates for property in St. Michael (Wright County, St. Michael-Albertville schools). City of St. Michael · May 20, 2026
See what a St. Michael home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in St. Michael is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceContractorWright County Sheriff's OfficeCity of St. Michael · May 20, 2026
- Fire and emergency medical responseThe citySt. Michael Fire DepartmentA combination fire department with two fire stations.City of St. Michael · Jan 1, 2026
- Water supplyAnother agencyJoint Powers Water BoardShared with Albertville and Hanover. The city owns and maintains its water mains.City of St. Michael · May 20, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity sewer utilityCity of St. Michael · May 20, 2026
- Wastewater treatment plant operationContractorVeolia North AmericaCity of St. Michael · May 20, 2026
- Storm waterThe cityCity storm water utilityCity of St. Michael · May 20, 2026
- RecyclingContractorWaste ManagementCity of St. Michael · Oct 10, 2026
- TrashPrivate companyLicensed private haulers chosen by residentsCity of St. Michael · Oct 10, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity public worksCity of St. Michael · May 20, 2026
- Parks and trailsThe cityCity of St. MichaelCity of St. Michael · May 20, 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 | New BrightonMN | CrystalMN | Columbia HeightsMN | St MichaelMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 22,159 | 22,239 | 22,482 | 22,498 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $204,100 | Not current (2023) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | $7,000 | $8,170 | $10,800 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,156 | $1,180 | $929 | $535 |
| Debt per resident | $1,240 | $323 | $1,250 | $606 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $258 | $262 | $289 | $51 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 6.4 | 4.4 | — | 1.5 |
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). St Michael pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What St. Michael 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 and 2026 Budget Summary are posted. The final budget was approved December 9, 2025. City of St. Michael · Oct 10, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no employment agreement or salary document for the City Administrator on the city's website. City of St. Michael · Oct 10, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no document stating council pay. The budget shows only a combined $23,000 wage line for the mayor and council. City of St. Michael · Dec 9, 2025
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget shows wages by department, but we found no published pay plan or employee pay list. City of St. Michael · Dec 9, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- The 2027 preliminary levy rises 4.95%, and the Sheriff patrol contract rises by $191,992. How will patrol costs be covered after the Public Safety Aid amortization ends in 2028?
- The 2026 general fund budget plans $12.04 million in spending against $11.89 million in revenue. Which costs drive the gap?
- Bonds outstanding were $13.63 million at the end of 2025, and a 2027 street reconstruction bond is planned. How much new debt will it add?
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