Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0How is Osakis run?
Osakis’ city government spent $2.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,307 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Osakis is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,307 per resident a year, or $3.58 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,255 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Osakis’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,255 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–$1,505. Osakis spent more than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($783,000), 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; Osakis itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 4% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Osakis 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: $1,255 · 2023: $1,307.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,745 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.01% 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 Osakis’ 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 Osakis’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Osakis →
Who’s in charge in Osakis
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 158 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,740).
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.
Osakis Public School District
Osakis’ K–12 school district, shared with Gordon Township, Orange Township, West Union, Osakis Township, Leslie Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,012 per pupil, $9,020 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.
Osakis’ votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Osakis alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Douglas County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.6%16,726 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat31.6%7,938 votesOthers: 1.8% (442 votes).
Most votes in Douglas County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
92% of Osakis lies in Douglas County; the rest in Todd County. Every 2024 race in Douglas County is on the county’s page.
Douglas 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 Osakis.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Minnesota HouseOsakis 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 Osakis compares with the towns next door
Osakis spent $1,255 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Gordon Township | $371 | $2,900 |
| Osakis Township | $437 | $2,482 |
| Osakis | $1,255 | $1,745 |
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 Osakis’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Osakis’ government
How much does Osakis spend per resident?
About $1,307 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,255 was more than 60% of 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Osakis?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,745 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.01% 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 Osakis’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Osakis yet.
How did Osakis vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Osakis alone. Douglas County, where 92% of Osakis lies, voted Trump 66.6%, Harris 31.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Osakis?
11 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $75,190 (about $902,280 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Osakis in the state legislature?
Osakis 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.
Ask neighbors about Osakis’ 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 →