Photo: Darb02 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Austin run?
Austin’s city government spent $26.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,006 per resident. Water and other utilities ($60.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Austin is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
1 upcoming meeting at town hall
From Austin’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov12GeneralThursday · 5:30 pm · 500 4th Avenue NEPort Authority MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Nov2GeneralMonday · 6:00 pm · City Hall - Council Chambers, 500 4th Avenue NEWork Session-Immediately Following the Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Nov2City CouncilMonday · 5:30 pm · City Hall Council Chambers, 500 4th Avenue NECity Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct19City CouncilMonday · 5:30 pm · City Hall Council Chambers, 500 4th Avenue NECity Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct5GeneralMonday · 6:00 pm · City Hall Council Chambers, 500 4th Avenue NEWork Session-Immediately Following the Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct5City CouncilMonday · 5:30 pm · City Hall Council Chambers, 500 4th Avenue NECity Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,006 per resident a year, or $2.76 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,016 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Austin’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,016 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 25 Minnesota cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,007, and the middle half spent $786–$1,129. Austin spent more than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($5.8 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Minnesota cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Austin itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 2% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Austin reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,016 · 2023: $1,007 · 2024: $1,006.
full-time in March 2025, up from 109 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,698 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.04% of the home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Austin’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.
Tax bills are one input to Austin’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Austin →
Who’s in charge in Austin
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 234 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (26,208).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Austin Public School District
Austin’s K–12 school district, shared with Mapleview, Austin Township, Lansing Township, Oakland Township, Moscow Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,905 per pupil, $10,555 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.
Minnesota districts overall: 30% local, 62% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Austin’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Austin alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Mower County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican54.3%10,297 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat43.8%8,312 votesOthers: 1.9% (360 votes).
Most votes in Mower County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Austin lies in Mower County. Every 2024 race in Mower County is on the county’s page.
Mower County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Austin.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.austin.mn.us ↗
- 2Minnesota HouseState representatives
- 3Minnesota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Minnesota
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Austin compares with the towns next door
Austin spent $1,016 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Red Rock Township | $174 | $2,272 |
| Austin Township | $250 | $1,709 |
| Windom Township | $282 | $2,067 |
| Lansing Township | $359 | $2,317 |
| Mapleview | $1,000 | $814 |
| Austin | $1,016 | $1,698 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Austin’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Austin’s government
How much does Austin spend per resident?
About $1,006 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,016 was more than 52% of 25 Minnesota cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Austin?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,698 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.04% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.austin.mn.us.
Who runs Austin’s government?
See ci.austin.mn.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Austin yet.
How did Austin vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Austin alone. Mower County, where 100% of Austin lies, voted Trump 54.3%, Harris 43.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Austin?
112 full-time and 30 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $902,877 (about $10.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Austin in the state legislature?
State Senate District 23 (Gene Dornink) and State House District 23B (Patty Mueller). The House district also covers 37 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Austin?
The next posted meeting is General on Thursday, November 12, at 5:30 pm in 500 4th Avenue NE, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Austin’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →