Photo: Gabriel Vanslette · CC BY 3.0How is Mendota Heights run?
Mendota Heights’ city government spent $14.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,283 per resident.
What stands out about how Mendota Heights is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Mendota Heights’ own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov10Parks & Recreation CommissionTuesday · 6:30 pm · 1101 Victoria CurveParks and Recreation Commission Work Session MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov12Natural Resources CommissionThursday · 6:00 pm · 1101 Victoria CurveNatural Resources Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17City CouncilTuesday · 4:30 pm · City of Mendota Heights, 1101 Victoria CurveCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17City CouncilTuesday · 6:00 pm · City of Mendota Heights, 1101 Victoria CurveCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov24Planning CommissionTuesday · 7:00 pm · 1101 Victoria CurvePlanning Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec1City CouncilTuesday · 4:00 pm · City Council Chambers, 1101 Victoria CurveCity Council Special MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Nov4City CouncilWednesday · 6:00 pm · City Council ChambersCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Nov3City CouncilTuesday · 4:00 pm · City Council Chambers, 1101 Victoria CurveCity Council Special MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Oct27Planning CommissionTuesday · 7:00 pm · 1101 Victoria CurvePlanning Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Oct21Airport Relations CommissionWednesday · 6:00 pm · 1101 Victoria CurveAirport Relations Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Oct20City CouncilTuesday · 6:00 pm · City of Mendota Heights, 1101 Victoria CurveCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,283 per resident a year, or $3.52 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 34%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,134 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Mendota Heights’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,134 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 51 Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $971, and the middle half spent $700–$1,242. Mendota Heights spent more than 65% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.3 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Mendota Heights itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 14% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Mendota Heights 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: $1,134 · 2024: $1,283.
full-time in March 2025, up from 48 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 $4,491 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.86% 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 Mendota Heights’ 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 Mendota Heights’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Mendota Heights →
Who’s in charge in Mendota Heights
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 235 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 (11,492).
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.
West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan
Mendota Heights’ K–12 school district, shared with Lilydale, Mendota, Sunfish Lake, West St. Paul, Eagan. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,619 per pupil, $11,349 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.
Mendota Heights’ votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mendota Heights alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Dakota County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat55.1%143,267 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican42.3%109,995 votesOthers: 2.5% (6,543 votes).
Most votes in Dakota County: Kamala D Harris
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Mendota Heights lies in Dakota County. Every 2024 race in Dakota County is on the county’s page.
Dakota 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 Mendota Heights.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: mendota-heights.com ↗
- 2Minnesota HouseMendota Heights is split between 2 districts
- 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 Mendota Heights compares with the towns next door
Mendota Heights spent $1,134 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $961 to $2,078. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Eagan | $961 | $3,826 |
| Mendota | $1,264 | $2,385 |
| Lilydale | $1,504 | $3,522 |
| Bloomington | $1,567 | $3,881 |
| St. Paul | $2,078 | $3,822 |
| Mendota Heights | $1,134 | $4,491 |
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 Mendota Heights’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Mendota Heights’ government
How much does Mendota Heights spend per resident?
About $1,283 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 $1,134 was more than 65% of 51 Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Mendota Heights?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,491 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.86% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see mendota-heights.com.
Who runs Mendota Heights’ government?
See mendota-heights.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Mendota Heights yet.
How did Mendota Heights vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mendota Heights alone. Dakota County, where 100% of Mendota Heights lies, voted Harris 55.1%, Trump 42.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Mendota Heights?
49 full-time and 17 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $505,768 (about $6.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Mendota Heights in the state legislature?
Mendota Heights is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Minnesota Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Mendota Heights?
The next posted meeting is Parks & Recreation Commission on Tuesday, November 10, at 6:30 pm in 1101 Victoria Curve, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Mendota Heights’ 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 →