How Stillwater is run
Who runs Stillwater, 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 Stillwater's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Stillwater
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
Stillwater city staff
We found no published pay plan or employee pay list. The 2026 budget proposal added 3.0 new positions costing $341,000. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Stillwater 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 2026 proposal raised the city levy 13.472% in revenue, or 7.308% for property owners, as TIF District 10 was decertified. Staff wrote that this will significantly reduce budget pressures. The city completed a long-range financial plan in 2025/2026 with a 10-year capital plan for 2026-2035. City of Stillwater · Sep 2, 2025
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $6.9M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: We found no written reserve target in the readable documents. At the end of 2025 unassigned general fund balance was 41.7% of 2025 general fund spending. City of Stillwater · Jun 11, 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 tax levy$15.2M · 80%
- Charges for services$1.6M · 8%
- Licenses and permits$828,780 · 4%
- Intergovernmental$679,000 · 4%
- Franchise fees$495,000 · 3%
- Other (other property taxes, fines, miscellaneous)$167,800 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$6.5M · 34%
- Fire$3.2M · 17%
- Streets$1.6M · 9%
- Unallocated$1.5M · 8%
- Administration$1.1M · 6%
- IT support services$835,327 · 4%
- Inspections$814,154 · 4%
- Other (finance, community development, engineering, city hall, HR, council, legal, elections, emergency management)$3.4M · 18%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Stillwater is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityStillwater Police DepartmentCity of Stillwater · Jun 11, 2026
- FireThe cityStillwater Fire DepartmentCity of Stillwater · Jun 11, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity public worksCity of Stillwater · Jun 11, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity parks and recreationCity of Stillwater · Jun 11, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityCity of Stillwater · Jun 11, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity sanitary sewer utilityCity of Stillwater · Jun 11, 2026
- Storm sewerThe cityCity storm sewer utilityCity of Stillwater · Jun 11, 2026
- ParkingThe cityCity of StillwaterCity of Stillwater · Jun 11, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorWaste ManagementOne hauler for homes and multi-unit residential properties. Residents set up service and are billed by Waste Management.City of Stillwater · Oct 10, 2026
- Recreation centerThe citySt. Croix Valley Recreation Center (city fund)City of Stillwater · Jun 11, 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 | AnokaMN | Albert LeaMN | StillwaterMN | South St PaulMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 18,169 | 18,217 | 19,354 | 20,532 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $214,926 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $210,762 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $986 | $1,185 | $977 | $1,130 |
| Debt per resident | $2,421 | $2,615 | $1,673 | $1,446 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $316 | $318 | $325 | $261 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 6.9 | 7.5 | — | 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). Anoka and South St Paul pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Stillwater publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no employment agreement for City Administrator Joe Kohlmann on the city website or in 2024-2025 council agendas. City of Stillwater · Oct 10, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Stillwater · Oct 10, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentWe found no readable document stating council pay. The budget shows only a $222,915 Mayor & Council department total. City of Stillwater · Aug 19, 2025
- No: Employee pay publishedWe found no published pay plan or employee pay list. The 2026 proposal lists only the cost of three new positions. City of Stillwater · Aug 19, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $6.9 million at the end of 2025, 41.7% of that year's spending. What reserve level does the council aim to keep?
- The 2026 proposal raised the city levy 13.472% in revenue as TIF District 10 was decertified. How much of that increase comes from property returning to the tax rolls?
- Bonds outstanding were $32.2 million at the end of 2025. How much new borrowing does the 10-year capital plan for 2026-2035 assume?
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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