The City of Lilydale is a Plan A statutory city, the most common type of city in our state.  Statutory cities operate primarily under Chapter 412 of the Minnesota Statutes.  The Plan A city council consists of an elected mayor and four or six elected councilmembers.  The city clerk is an appointed office.

For legislative purposes, state law divides Minnesota cities into four classes based on population.  The City of Lilydale is classified as a Fourth Class city, having no more than 10,000 residents.  More than 700 cities meet this defintion.