Photo: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Oak Park Heights run?
Oak Park Heights’ city government spent $5.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,186 per resident. Water and other utilities ($689,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Oak Park Heights is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,186 per resident a year, or $3.25 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,186 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Oak Park Heights’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,186 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 $1,074, and the middle half spent $815–$1,405. Oak Park Heights spent more than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.2 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Oak Park Heights itself left out).
No trend yet
Oak Park Heights reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $3,486 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.98% 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 Oak Park 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 Oak Park Heights’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Oak Park Heights →
Who’s in charge in Oak Park Heights
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Oak Park Heights’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofoakparkheights.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 237 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 (4,973).
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.
Stillwater Area Public School District
Oak Park Heights’ K–12 school district, shared with Bayport, Baytown Township, Lake St. Croix Beach, Lakeland, Lakeland Shores and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,719 per pupil, $10,093 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.
Oak Park Heights’ votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Oak Park Heights alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Washington County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat53.3%90,324 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican44.4%75,271 votesOthers: 2.3% (3,941 votes).
Most votes in Washington County: Kamala D Harris
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Oak Park Heights lies in Washington County. Every 2024 race in Washington County is on the county’s page.
Washington 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 Oak Park Heights.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofoakparkheights.com ↗
- 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 Oak Park Heights compares with the towns next door
Oak Park Heights spent $1,186 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $314 to $1,247. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Stillwater Township | $314 | $5,189 |
| Baytown Township | $552 | $5,805 |
| Lake Elmo | $722 | $4,841 |
| Bayport | $1,109 | $2,987 |
| Stillwater | $1,247 | $4,026 |
| Oak Park Heights | $1,186 | $3,486 |
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 Oak Park Heights’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Oak Park Heights’ government
How much does Oak Park Heights spend per resident?
About $1,186 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 $1,186 was more than 58% of 133 Minnesota cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Oak Park Heights?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,486 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.98% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofoakparkheights.com.
Who runs Oak Park Heights’ government?
See cityofoakparkheights.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Oak Park Heights yet.
How did Oak Park Heights vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Oak Park Heights alone. Washington County, where 100% of Oak Park Heights lies, voted Harris 53.3%, Trump 44.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Oak Park Heights?
21 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $163,444 (about $2.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Oak Park Heights in the state legislature?
State Senate District 33 (Karin Housley) and State House District 33B (Josiah Hill). The House district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Oak Park 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 →