How Waconia is run
Who runs Waconia, 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 Waconia's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Waconia
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
Waconia city staff
54 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2025. City of Waconia · May 13, 2026
The budget shows wages 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 Waconia 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: $5.6M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance at about 40% of the next year's operating budget, excluding transfers. The city reports the balance at the end of 2025 as 51% of 2026 budgeted spending. The city meets this target. City of Waconia · May 13, 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$10M · 74%
- Planning and building inspection fees$1.2M · 9%
- Administration, finance and technology (licenses, fees, cell tower leases)$634,457 · 5%
- Transfers in from utilities and PEG fund$406,800 · 3%
- Fire (township contracts and state aid)$394,200 · 3%
- Law enforcement$309,959 · 2%
- Streets$304,806 · 2%
- Other$178,609 · 1%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Administration, finance and technology$2.9M · 21%
- Transfers to other funds (capital, debt, recreation facilities)$2.5M · 19%
- Streets$2.1M · 16%
- Law enforcement (Carver County Sheriff contract) and community safety$1.6M · 12%
- Parks$1.3M · 10%
- Planning and inspections$1.1M · 8%
- Fire$1.1M · 8%
- Other (central facilities, economic development, recreation)$809,110 · 6%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Minnesota property taxes are mostly set as a rate on a property's tax capacity. This split leaves out voter-approved school levies charged on market value.
46¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Waconia
- City of Waconia32.880 operating plus 15.293 debt service.48.173 · 46%
- Carver County30.934 · 29%
- Waconia Public Schools (ISD 110)23.278 · 22%
- Other (special districts)3.182 · 3%
- Total (percent of tax capacity)105.567
2025 tax capacity rates for property in Waconia (Carver County, Waconia Public Schools ISD 110). City of Waconia · May 13, 2026
See what a Waconia home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Waconia is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceContractorCarver County Sheriff's OfficeThe sheriff's contract covers patrol, traffic, ordinance enforcement and minor crimes.City of Waconia · Oct 10, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe countyCarver County Sheriff's OfficeCity of Waconia · Oct 10, 2026
- Fire, rescue and first responseThe cityWaconia Fire DepartmentPaid-on-call department that also serves Laketown and Waconia townships.City of Waconia · Oct 10, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity water utilityCity of Waconia · Oct 10, 2026
- Streets and street lightsThe cityCity Public Services Department (Streets Division)City of Waconia · Oct 10, 2026
- Parks and trailsThe cityCity Public Services Department (Park Maintenance Division)City of Waconia · Oct 10, 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 | WorthingtonMN | WaconiaMN | BrainerdMN | HutchinsonMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 13,979 | 14,113 | 14,428 | 14,655 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $155,958 | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $6,000 | $6,600 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $806 | $947 | $980 | $1,129 |
| Debt per resident | $3,350 | $3,949 | $2,317 | $3,168 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $302 | $111 | $377 | $444 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 9.1 | 3.8 | 5.9 | 13.3 |
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). Waconia pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Waconia publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe full 2026 budget book, approved December 22, 2025, is posted on the city's budget page with the financial management plan. City of Waconia · Dec 22, 2025
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no posted City Administrator contract or salary. The council held a work session on the contract on September 21, 2026. City of Waconia · Sep 21, 2026
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes name who moved and seconded each motion. On a split vote, as on December 22, 2025, they list each member's aye or nay. City of Waconia · Dec 22, 2025
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe December 22, 2025 minutes state the mayor's $7,200 and council members' $6,000 yearly pay, set by ordinance in 2018. City of Waconia · Dec 22, 2025
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget shows wages by department. We found no published pay plan or list of employee pay. City of Waconia · Dec 22, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund balance was $5,582,550 at the end of 2025, 51% of 2026 budgeted spending against a 40% target. How does the council plan to use the amount above the target?
- Bonds and notes outstanding were $55,728,751 at the end of 2025, and the city approved two more bond issues in April 2026. How will the debt levy change in the next few years?
- The 2026 general fund budget transfers $2,514,675 to other funds for capital, debt and recreation facilities. Which of these transfers are expected to continue each year?
Help decide what comes next
What do you want to know about Waconia next?
One tap, no sign-in. We count answers; we never show who chose what.
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?
See something wrong? Report an error
Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.