City government · Otter Tail County, MN

Fergus Falls's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Fergus Falls took in $34.7 million and spent $22.6 million.

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

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Where it comes from

Fees for services (liquor stores, garbage collection)57%City taxes25%State tax money15%Fines and other2.2%Federal tax money0.6%County and local tax money0.3%

What stands out

57%

of Fergus Falls' 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 taxes25%

Property tax
22%$7.7 million
Sales tax
1.3%$441 thousand
Other taxes
1.3%$437 thousand
What's in other taxesOther licenses and other selective sales taxes
  • Other licenses$267 thousand
  • Other selective sales taxes$170 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services57%

Fees for services
57%$19.7 million
What's in fees for servicesLiquor stores; garbage collection and 6 more
  • Liquor stores$7.5 million
  • Garbage collection$3.8 million
  • Sewer$3.1 million
  • Water$3.0 million
  • Other service charges$1.3 million
  • Parks and recreation$1.0 million
  • Road charges$51 thousand
  • Airport$19 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money0.6%

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

From the federal government
0.6%$197 thousand

State tax money15%

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

From the state
15%$5.4 million

County and local tax money0.3%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
0.3%$117 thousand

Fines and other2.2%

Interest, rents and other
2.0%$693 thousand
Fines
0.2%$75 thousand

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities35%Police, fire, courts and jails24%Parks, recreation and libraries14%Roads, transit and parking12%Running the government and other costs11%All other spending4.2%

What stands out

14%

of Fergus Falls' spending goes to parks, recreation and libraries.A typical U.S. city of 10,000 to 50,000 people spends 5.6%.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
35%$7.8 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste; sewer systems and 2 more
  • Garbage and solid waste$3.1 million
  • Sewer systems$1.9 million
  • Water supply$1.6 million
  • Liquor stores$1.3 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
24%$5.4 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice and fire protection
  • Police$4.5 million
  • Fire protection$849 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
14%$3.2 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$2.4 million
  • Libraries$884 thousand
Roads, transit and parking
12%$2.7 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; airports and 1 more
  • Roads and highways$2.4 million
  • Airports$223 thousand
  • Public transit$50 thousand
Running the government and other costs
11%$2.5 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out and finance, tax collection and budgeting
  • Other and not broken out$2.0 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$436 thousand
Interest on debt
3.0%$672 thousand
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$636 thousand
  • Interest on water supply debt$36 thousand
Environment and natural resources
1.2%$268 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$268 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Fergus Falls. 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 Fergus Falls 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.