How Woodbury is run
Who runs Woodbury, 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 Woodbury's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Woodbury
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
Woodbury city staff
393 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 104, EMS and fire 44. FY2026. Budgeted full- and part-time positions in all funds, up from 376.84 in 2025. Excludes part-time firefighters. City of Woodbury · Dec 10, 2025
The city posts the base pay of its three highest-paid employees. We found no city-published pay list for all employees. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Woodbury 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 five-year general fund projection balances revenue and spending each year through 2030, with tax levy increases of 6.1% to 6.5% a year. The 2026 budget uses $470,000 of fund balance. The preliminary 2027 general fund budget is $66.8 million, 7.5% above 2026. City of Woodbury · Dec 10, 2025
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $21.2M (2025-12-31). City of Woodbury · Jul 31, 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$44.4M · 71%
- Transfers in$7.3M · 12%
- Development fees and permits$4M · 6%
- Intergovernmental$2.4M · 4%
- Recreation fees$976,100 · 2%
- Charges for services$959,652 · 2%
- Other (licenses, fines, investment income, miscellaneous, use of fund balance)$2.1M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Public safety$28.5M · 46%
- Public works$12.9M · 21%
- General government$9.4M · 15%
- Engineering$4.9M · 8%
- Community development$3.9M · 6%
- Parks and recreation$2.4M · 4%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Minnesota property taxes are mostly set as a rate on a property's tax capacity. Parts of Woodbury are in ISD 622 or ISD 834, which have different school rates. Watershed district rates (0.702% to 2.864%) depend on location and are left out.
34¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Woodbury
- City of Woodbury31.16 · 34%
- South Washington County Schools (ISD 833)32.973 · 36%
- Washington County23.846 · 26%
- Special districts (Metropolitan Council, transit, mosquito control, county CDA, rail authority, Woodbury HRA)3.267 · 4%
- Total (percent of tax capacity)91.246
Taxes payable 2025 tax capacity rates for property in Woodbury in ISD 833 (Washington County). City of Woodbury · Jul 31, 2026
See what a Woodbury home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Woodbury is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityWoodbury Public Safety (Police Services)City of Woodbury · Dec 10, 2025
- FireThe cityWoodbury Public Safety (EMS Fire)City of Woodbury · Dec 10, 2025
- Emergency medical services and ambulanceThe cityWoodbury Public Safety (EMS Fire)City of Woodbury · Dec 10, 2025
- WaterThe cityCity water and sewer utilityThe city plans a $330 million water treatment plant, scheduled for completion in 2028. Water and sewer rates rose 8.0% in 2024 and 8.0% in 2025.City of Woodbury · Jul 31, 2026
- Sewer collectionThe cityCity water and sewer utilityCity of Woodbury · Jul 31, 2026
- Storm waterThe cityCity storm water utilityCity of Woodbury · Jul 31, 2026
- StreetsThe cityWoodbury Public Works (Streets Division)City of Woodbury · Dec 10, 2025
- Parks and trailsThe cityWoodbury Public Works (Parks and Forestry Division)City of Woodbury · Dec 10, 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 | PlymouthMN | LakevilleMN | WoodburyMN | Brooklyn ParkMN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 78,942 | 79,270 | 81,558 | 83,543 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $248,350 | $261,483 | Not confirmed | $249,379 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $12,578 |
| General fund per resident | $768 | $588 | $762 | $972 |
| Debt per resident | $661 | $2,251 | $776 | $291 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $214 | $172 | $197 | $304 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 4.1 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 7.1 |
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 Woodbury 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 adopted budget book is posted, with a summary page of funds, revenues and spending. City of Woodbury · Dec 10, 2025
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe council approved the city administrator's employment agreement in June 2025. We found no posted copy on the city site. City of Woodbury · Jun 25, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote by name, such as Kim Wilson – aye. City of Woodbury · Jun 25, 2025
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of Woodbury · Jul 31, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay publishedAs state law requires, the city posts base pay for its three highest-paid employees. We found no full pay list. City of Woodbury · Oct 10, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The 2026 general fund budget of $62.1 million is 10.3% above 2025, and budgeted staff rise from 376.84 to 392.82 full-time equivalents. How will the city fund these positions if levy increases slow below the projected 6.1% to 6.5% a year?
- Bonds and notes totaled $63.3 million at the end of 2025, while the city builds a permanent water treatment plant due in 2028. How much more borrowing and how large a rate increase does the plant require?
- Unassigned general fund balance was $21.2 million at the end of 2025, and the 2026 budget uses $470,000 of fund balance. What reserve level does the council plan to keep?
- The council approved a city administrator employment agreement in June 2025. Will the city post the agreement and the administrator's pay?
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