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Town Hall · Waterville

How Waterville is run

Waterville spent $3.8 million in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,160 per resident.

City budget
$3.8 million
spent, year to December 31, 2024
Per resident
$2,160
Below typical Minnesota cities ($2,521)
Long-term debt
$3.4 million
$1,963 per resident
City staff
10
full-time · 5 part-time
Typical tax bill
$2,601
a year · MN $3,357

What stands out about how Waterville is run

Read from the town’s budget, meetings and records. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $2,601 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.10% of the home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Minnesota$3,357
Waterville$2,601
$2,601
typical bill a year
1.10%
effective rate
$236,000
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Waterville’s rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.

Your share of the budget

About $2,160 per resident a year, or $5.92 a day

The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 24% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 35%From the state 25%Fees & charges 22%Interest, fines & other 6%From the federal government 5%Utility sales 4%From other local governments 2%Sales taxes 1%Other taxes & licenses <1%
The school district

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Public School District

Waterville’s K–12 school district, shared with Elysian, Morristown, Waterville, Elysian, Morristown and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Waterville →
$14,033
per pupil · MN $17,091
761
students
$16.4 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,033 per pupil, $8,255 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 31%State 61%Federal 7%

Minnesota districts overall: 30% local, 62% state, 8% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Over the years

Per resident, spending is up 43% since 2022

Spending per resident, by fiscal year. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Spending per resident by year

2022$1,514
2024$2,160
$3.8 million
spent in 2024
$2.8 million
spent in 2022

* A Census Bureau estimate for that year (the town didn’t report most of its figures).

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Waterville

Local officials aren’t in the public records we use for Waterville yet. Neighbors can add them.

Who works for Waterville

One full-time town employee for every 175 residents

On the payroll in March 2022.

By department full-time, plus part-time

Police4 + 3 pt
Administration & buildings2 + 1 pt
Roads & transportation2
Sewer & trash1
Water & other utilities1
Parks & libraries0 + 1 pt
10
full-time
5
part-time
$59,500
average full-time pay, before benefits
4
sworn police officers

Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it’s approximate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

Who represents Waterville

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Waterville.

Politics & elections →
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Minnesota HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Minnesota SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Minnesota

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Waterville’s government

Numbers and hours come from neighbors and the town’s own site (the Handbook). A new one goes live once two neighbors confirm it.

The Handbook →

Questions about how Waterville is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Waterville get good value for its tax dollars?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. School district: Census school finance survey. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates. Representatives: Open States, the Census and congress-legislators.

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Add to the handbook

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