City government · Becker County, MN

Detroit Lakes's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Detroit Lakes took in $64.8 million and spent $70.5 million.

Latest recorded year: ended December 31, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

Fees for services (electric power, liquor stores)71%City taxes15%Fines and other5.0%County and local tax money4.6%State tax money3.0%Federal tax money1.1%

What stands out

71%

of Detroit Lakes' money comes from fees for services such as water, sewer and parking.A typical U.S. city of 10,000 to 50,000 people gets 30%.

City taxes15%

Property tax
11%$7.3 million
Sales tax
2.4%$1.5 million
Other taxes
1.3%$821 thousand
What's in other taxesOther licenses; other selective sales taxes and 1 more
  • Other licenses$375 thousand
  • Other selective sales taxes$317 thousand
  • Public utility taxes$129 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services71%

Fees for services
71%$46.3 million
What's in fees for servicesElectric power; liquor stores and 6 more
  • Electric power$23.9 million
  • Liquor stores$10.8 million
  • Sewer$6.3 million
  • Water$3.3 million
  • Road charges$832 thousand
  • Other service charges$501 thousand
  • Parks and recreation$376 thousand
  • Airport$249 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money1.1%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
1.1%$738 thousand

State tax money3.0%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
3.0%$1.9 million

County and local tax money4.6%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
4.6%$3.0 million

Fines and other5.0%

Interest, rents and other
4.9%$3.1 million
Fines
0.1%$69 thousand

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities51%Roads, transit and parking26%Running the government and other costs11%Police, fire, courts and jails5.9%Parks, recreation and libraries3.3%All other spending2.6%

What stands out

51%

of Detroit Lakes' spending goes to water, sewer, trash and other utilities.A typical U.S. city of 10,000 to 50,000 people spends 24%.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
51%$35.8 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesElectric power; liquor stores and 2 more
  • Electric power$18.1 million
  • Liquor stores$8.1 million
  • Sewer systems$6.1 million
  • Water supply$3.5 million
Roads, transit and parking
26%$18.5 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and airports
  • Roads and highways$17.1 million
  • Airports$1.4 million
Running the government and other costs
11%$7.9 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 1 more
  • Other and not broken out$7.4 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$402 thousand
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$110 thousand
Police, fire, courts and jails
5.9%$4.1 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice and fire protection
  • Police$3.2 million
  • Fire protection$956 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
3.3%$2.4 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$1.9 million
  • Libraries$414 thousand
Interest on debt
2.0%$1.4 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$1.2 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$194 thousand
Housing and community development
0.6%$447 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Detroit Lakes. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

What this covers. The money of City of Detroit Lakes itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.