Photo: Myotus · CC BY-SA 4.0Fertile spent more per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities
Fertile’s city government spent $6.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $8,097 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($259,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Fertile is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$8,097 per resident in 2022: more than 100% of them
Fertile’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($8,097 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 $1,111, and the middle half spent $740–$1,504. Fertile spent more than 100% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($100,000), 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; Fertile itself left out).
About $8,097 per resident a year, or $22.18 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: health & welfare, at 89%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Fertile reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2024 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,564 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.21% 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 Fertile’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 Fertile’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Fertile →
Who’s in charge in Fertile
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Fertile’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityoffertile.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 806 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 (806).
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.
Fertile-Beltrami School District
Fertile’s K–12 school district, shared with Beltrami, Garfield Township, Godfrey Township, Liberty Township, Reis Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,876 per pupil, $9,573 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.
Fertile’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fertile alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Polk County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican65.9%10,162 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.2%4,967 votesOthers: 1.9% (290 votes).
Most votes in Polk County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Fertile lies in Polk County. Every 2024 race in Polk County is on the county’s page.
Polk 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 Fertile.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityoffertile.org ↗
- 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 Fertile’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Fertile’s government
How much does Fertile spend per resident?
About $8,097 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 $8,097 was more than 100% of 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Fertile?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,564 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.21% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityoffertile.org.
Who runs Fertile’s government?
See cityoffertile.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Fertile yet.
How did Fertile vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fertile alone. Polk County, where 100% of Fertile lies, voted Trump 65.9%, Harris 32.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Fertile?
1 full-time and 37 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $23,784 (about $285,408 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Fertile in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Mark Johnson) and State House District 1B (Steve Gander). The House district also covers 126 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Fertile’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 →