Finance
Finance Activites
- Administer all insurance policies and act as the city's risk management department
- Issue and manage all bonded debt of the city
- Maintain all accounting records of the city of West St. Paul
- Manage and invest the city's portfolio of available cash funds
- Oversee the preparation of the city's Annual Budget and monitoring its implementation during the year
- Prepare the city's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) in accordance with all relevant financial reporting guidelines
- Supervise the collections, safekeeping, and disbursement of the city monies
- 2018 Final Budget - Council Approved
- 2018 Preliminary Budget and Levy
- Council Report - 2018 Budget and Maximum Levy Certification
- 2018 Fee Schedule (amended 3-26-18)
- Capital Improvement Plan - 2018
- Capital Equipment Plan - 2018
- 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report
- Adopted 2017 Fee Schedule
- 2017 Governmental Fund Budget Summary
- 2016 Approved Fee Schedule (PDF)
- 2016 Budget Summary (PDF)
- 2016 Approved Budget (PDF)
- 8-31-16 Robert Street Financial Information
- 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report
- 2016 Management Letter
- 2016 Federal Financial Award Programs and Other Required Reports
- 2015 Final Comprehensive Financial Report
- Audit Services Request for Proposal
- 2015 City of West St. Paul Budget
- 2015 Fee Schedule (PDF)
- 2015 Certificate of Acheivement for Excellence in Financial Reporting
PROPERTY TAX LEVY
The Property Tax Levy necessary to fund City operations each year is determined during the annual budget process. The Property Tax Levy includes funds for general operations, debt service, and other special levies for specific purposes. On December 12th, 2022, the City Council adopted a tax levy of $19,755,031 for 2023. "Where does the City spend this money?" is often asked. Here is a breakdown:
| General Fund/Community Events/Insurance | $14,372,914 |
| Debt Service | $3,525,002 |
| Capital | $988,722 |
| EDA | $370,182 |
| Innovation | $240,961 |
| Recreational Athletic Center (DOME) Debt | $231,283 |
| Ice Arena | $184,864 |
| Swimming Pool | $75,564 |
| TOTAL LEVY | $19,755,031 |
Monthly/Annual Payment for City Services
What does all this mean you may ask? Well, let’s break these numbers down a bit further. Below is a monthly annual payment for City Services on a residential home with a taxable market value of $236,100. This is adjusted by the market value exclusion credit of ($15,991) for a market value of $220,109. The City tax portion only for 2022 is $1,482. See below the city services this tax levy provides for:
| Budget | Levy | % | Monthly payment for City Services on a residential home | Annual payment for City Services on a residential home | |
| Public Safety | 10,819,023 | 9,103,986 | 46.08% | 56.91 | 682.97 |
| Administration | 5,678,364 | 3,292,742 | 16.67% | 20.58 | 247.02 |
| Debt* (see list below) | 4,116,678 | 3,525,002 | 17.84% | 22.04 | 264.44 |
| Street Maintenance/ Neighborhood Streets | 7,163,117 | 2,064,084 | 10.45% | 12.90 | 154.85 |
| Parks & Rec Maintenance | 777,506 | 777,506 | 3.94% | 4.86 | 58.33 |
| Parks & Rec Infrastructure | 1,209,000 | - | 0.00% | - | - |
| Parks & Rec Enterprise | 2,869,720 | 491,711 | 2.49% | 3.07 | 36.89 |
| Other Infrastructure/ Equipment | 1,598,025 | 500,000 | 2.53% | 3.13 | 37.51 |
| Utilities | 8,436,089 | - | 0.00% | - | - |
| TOTAL BUDGET/LEVY | $42,667,522 | $19,755,031 | 100% | - | - |
| City Services | - | - | - | $123.50 | $1,482 |
Debt Service
The below table is a list of debt obligations the City currently has outstanding. The City has issued debt to fund projects such as annual street projects, building the Dome, and Harmon Park.
| Project | Issued | Last Payment Year |
| Harmon Park | 2014 | 2035 |
| Dome | 2012 | 2026 |
| Dome (Refunded 2012B) | 2021 | 2033 |
| Street Projects of 2012 | 2012 | 2023 |
| Street Projects of 2015 | 2015 | 2023 |
| Robert Street | 2014 | 2030 |
| Robert Street | 2016 | 2032 |
| Robert Street | 2017 | 2033 |
| Robert Street | 2018 | 2034 |
| Humbolt | 2018 | 2034 |
| Livingston | 2019 | 2035 |