How is Baxter run?
Baxter’s city government spent $7.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $913 per resident. Water and other utilities ($705,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Baxter is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Brainerd Public School District
Baxter’s K–12 school district, shared with Brainerd, Crow Wing Township, Fort Ripley, Fort Ripley Township, Garrison and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,555 per pupil, $10,265 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.
About $913 per resident a year, or $2.50 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$913 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Baxter’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($913 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 133 Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,081, and the middle half spent $815–$1,405. Baxter spent less than 65% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($744,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Baxter itself left out).
No trend yet
Baxter reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, up from 45 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $3,025 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.93% 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 Baxter’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 Baxter’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Baxter →
Who’s in charge in Baxter
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Baxter’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.baxter.mn.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 184 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (8,483).
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.
Baxter’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Baxter alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Crow Wing County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican64.7%27,423 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat33.5%14,173 votesOthers: 1.8% (770 votes).
Most votes in Crow Wing County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Baxter lies in Crow Wing County. Every 2024 race in Crow Wing County is on the county’s page.
Crow Wing 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 Baxter.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.baxter.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 Baxter compares with the towns next door
Baxter spent $913 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Ripley Township | $153 | $2,242 |
| Crow Wing Township | $274 | $2,323 |
| Sylvan Township | $283 | $1,890 |
| Brainerd | $1,349 | $2,082 |
| Baxter | $913 | $3,025 |
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 Baxter’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Baxter’s government
How much does Baxter spend per resident?
About $913 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $913 was less than 65% of 133 Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Baxter?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,025 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.93% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.baxter.mn.us.
Who runs Baxter’s government?
See ci.baxter.mn.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Baxter yet.
How did Baxter vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Baxter alone. Crow Wing County, where 100% of Baxter lies, voted Trump 64.7%, Harris 33.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Baxter?
46 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $354,135 (about $4.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Baxter in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Keri Heintzeman) and State House District 6B (Josh Heintzeman). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Baxter’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 →