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10 • Arden Hills notes • July 2022
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<br />City Departments
<br />Administration: This department provides the overall direction for the City as determined by the City Council. It is responsible for maintaining City records, issuing licenses, administering Council policies, and over-seeing election procedures.
<br />Finance: This department conducts the financial affairs of the City of Arden Hills in accordance with the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) and the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
<br />Community Development: This department is responsible for ensuring that laws, ordinances, and zoning codes are enforced. It is also responsible for economic development within the City.
<br />Public Works: This department manages the City’s infrastructure as it relates to roadways, water, sewer, and surface water management.
<br />Parks & Recreation: This department is responsible for providing recreation activities in the City and maintaining the City’s parks and trails.
<br />General Fund
<br />The City’s General Fund is the largest fund and is also one of the most vital to the City’s operation. The General Fund
<br />is the primary fund that accounts for everyday general expenditures like street and park maintenance, public safety,
<br />and administrative services. Like most funds, the General Fund relies on the inflow of cash, shown as revenues, and
<br />subsequently the outflow listed as expenditures.
<br />The City’s total General Fund expenditures for 2021 were $4,967,284 which was $245,696 (4.7%) under the final
<br />budget. Overall, General Fund expenditures increased by $380,666 (8.3%) from 2020. Public Safety costs increased
<br />$272,364 (11.2%) and General Government costs increased by $86,963 (9.4%). The chart below highlights the
<br />amount funded by each of the City’s functions.
<br />The primary revenue for the General Fund is property taxes. Intergovernmental revenues are items like state or
<br />county aids and grants. For year end 2021, the City’s revenue total was $5,304,590 which was a $75,049 (1.4%)
<br />increase from the previous year. Licenses & permits and Charges for services increased $320,904 and $243,720,
<br />respectively, due to increased building activity in the current year.
<br />City of Arden Hills Popular Annual Finance Report
<br /> 2020 2021
<br />Property Taxes $3,629,819 $3,763,384
<br />Special Assessments 4,758 4,514
<br />Licenses/Permits 431,628 752,532
<br />Intergovernmental 629,432 160,279
<br />Charges for Services 215,918 459,638
<br />Other 317,986 164,243
<br />Total General Fund Revenues $5,229,541 $5,304,590
<br /> 2020 2021
<br />General Government $927,319 $1,014,282
<br />Public Safety 2,435,773 2,708,137
<br />Public Works 675,739 618,236
<br />Parks & Recreation 547,787 626,629
<br />Total General Fund Expenditures $4,586,618 $4,967,284
<br />Revenues
<br />Expenditures
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<br />2021 City Property Taxes per Household per Month
<br />In a 2021 comparison of nine communities in Ramsey County, the average cost of services on a $387,500 home-
<br />stead in terms of property taxes showed Arden Hills ranking as one of the lowest.
<br />A $387,500 homestead in Arden Hills paid $80.52 per month in property taxes to the City.
<br />City of Arden Hills Popular Annual Finance Report
<br />The median home value has increased from $308,200 in 2017 to $387,500 in 2021, a 25.7% increase. During that
<br />same period, the city tax on a median value home has increased from $813 to $966, a 18.9% increase. The reason
<br />for this difference is that the city tax rate has decreased from 27.211% in 2017 to 25.089% in 2021, a 7.8% de-
<br />crease.
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