Philip Guettler House · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Cologne run?
Cologne’s city government spent $1.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,012 per resident. Water and other utilities ($630,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Cologne is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,012 per resident a year, or $2.77 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,012 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Cologne’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,012 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,112, and the middle half spent $740–$1,505. Cologne spent less than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($437,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cologne itself left out).
No trend yet
Cologne reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $4,318 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.13% 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 Cologne’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.
Tax bills are one input to Cologne’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cologne →
Who’s in charge in Cologne
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 266 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,860).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Central Public School District
Cologne’s K–12 school district, shared with Hamburg, Norwood Young America, Young America Township, Benton Township, Hancock Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,390 per pupil, $9,003 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.
Cologne’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cologne alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Carver County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.5%35,586 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.1%31,869 votesOthers: 2.5% (1,705 votes).
Most votes in Carver County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Cologne lies in Carver County. Every 2024 race in Carver County is on the county’s page.
Carver 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 Cologne.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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.
Reach Cologne’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Cologne’s government
How much does Cologne spend per resident?
About $1,012 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 $1,012 was less than 59% of 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cologne?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,318 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.13% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Cologne’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cologne yet.
How did Cologne vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cologne alone. Carver County, where 100% of Cologne lies, voted Trump 51.5%, Harris 46.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Cologne?
7 full-time and 33 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $43,606 (about $523,272 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Cologne in the state legislature?
State Senate District 48 (Julia Coleman) and State House District 48A (Jim Nash). The House district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cologne’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 →