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Town Hall · Waconia

How is Waconia run?

Waconia’s city government spent $15 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,123 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.4 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Minnesota.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$15.0M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,123
In 2022: $1,028, more than 55% of 51 similar cities
Long-term debt
$53.1M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2025
44
full-time · 40 part-time · March payroll $383,723
Typical tax bill
$4,392
1.02% of home value · MN 1.02%

What stands out about how Waconia is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online1 upcoming meeting posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer40% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).A shared school districtShares Waconia Public School District with 6+ other towns.
★ What stands out · Meetings

1 upcoming meeting at town hall

From Waconia’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,123 per resident a year, or $3.08 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 30%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 38%Fees & charges 24%Interest, fines & other 18%Utility sales 8%From the state 6%Other taxes & licenses 5%Sales taxes 1%From other local governments 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $13.9 million; interest on debt $1.5 million; payments to other governments $1.1 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $34 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,028 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Waconia’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,028 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. Waconia spent more than 55% of them.

Middle half of the group, $700–$1,242Median $971Waconia

Includes sewer and trash ($4.3 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 →

The group
51

Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Waconia itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Waconia reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$12.8 million
2023$15.6 million
2024$15 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,028 · 2023: $1,192 · 2024: $1,123. Per resident it went from $1,028 to $1,123 (up 9%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 12,415 to 13,384.

City staff
44

full-time in March 2025, up from 37 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $4,392 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.02% of the home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Waconia Township$4,741
Waconia$4,392
Laketown Township$4,225
Minnesota$3,357
$4,392
typical bill a year
1.02%
effective rate
$431,000
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Waconia’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.

Tax bills are one input to Waconia’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Waconia →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Waconia

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See waconia.org for Waconia’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Waconia yet.waconia.org ↗
Who works for Waconia

One full-time city employee for every 304 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (13,384).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Administration & buildings16 + 6 pt
Fire0 + 34 pt
Roads & transportation13
Parks & libraries6
Sewer & trash5
Water & other utilities4
44
full-time
40
part-time
$383,723
payroll for March 2025
$4.6M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$94,700
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Waconia had 3.0 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 35 of the 51 Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 4.6: Waconia had fewer than 77% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Waconia Public School District

Waconia’s K–12 school district, shared with New Germany, St. Bonifacius, Waconia Township, Laketown Township, Victoria and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Waconia →
$12,464
per pupil · MN $17,091
4,000
students
$112 million
long-term debt

Of the $12,464 per pupil, $8,050 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 34%State 63%Federal 3%

Minnesota districts overall: 30% local, 62% state, 8% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Waconia’s votes are counted by county

Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Waconia alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Carver County’s results.

President · Carver County’s results69,160 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican51.5%35,586 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat46.1%31,869 votes

Others: 2.5% (1,705 votes).

Most votes in Carver County: Donald J Trump

Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%

The county’s page

100% of Waconia lies in Carver County. Every 2024 race in Carver County is on the county’s page.

Carver County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Waconia

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Waconia.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: waconia.org ↗
  2. 2
    Minnesota HouseState representatives
    Jim Nash
  3. 3
    Minnesota SenateState senator
    Julia Coleman
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Tim Walz
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Tom Emmer
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Minnesota
    Amy KlobucharTina Smith

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Waconia compares with the towns next door

Waconia spent $1,028 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.

Waconia Township: $363 per resident (2022)Laketown Township: $386 per resident (2022)Waconia TownshipLaketown TownshipWaconia
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Waconia Township$363$4,741
Laketown Township$386$4,225
Waconia$1,028$4,392

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 Waconia’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitewaconia.org ↗

Questions about Waconia’s government

How much does Waconia spend per resident?

About $1,123 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 $1,028 was more than 55% of 51 Minnesota cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Waconia?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,392 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.02% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see waconia.org.

Who runs Waconia’s government?

See waconia.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Waconia yet.

How did Waconia vote in 2024?

Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Waconia alone. Carver County, where 100% of Waconia lies, voted Trump 51.5%, Harris 46.1% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Waconia?

44 full-time and 40 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $383,723 (about $4.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Waconia 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.

When is the next public meeting in Waconia?

The next posted meeting is Planning Commission on Thursday, November 5, at 6:30 pm in City Hall, 201 South Vine Street, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Waconia’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →