Town Hall · Wales

How Wales is run

Wales spent $338,000 in the year to June 30, 2022, about $2,268 per resident. (A Census Bureau estimate.)

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City budget

$338,000

spent, year to June 30, 2022

Per resident

$2,268

Below typical Alaska cities ($9,984)

Long-term debt

None

at year end

City staff

full-time · 16 part-time

What stands out about how Wales is run

Read from the town’s budget, meetings and records. The page puts what stands out first.

A lean budget$2,268 per resident a year, vs $9,984 for a typical Alaska city.A shared school districtShares Bering Strait School District with 6+ other towns.

★ What stands out · Your share of the budget

About $2,268 per resident a year, or $6.21 a day

The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 36% of spending.

WALESYour share · per resident · year to June 30, 2022

Administration & buildings$122,000 · 36%$819

Sewer & trash$10,000 · 3%$67

Roads & transportation$6,000 · 2%$40

Fire$5,000 · 1%$34

Water & other utilities$2,000 · 1%$13

Police$1,000 · <1%$7

Other$192,000 · 57%$1,289

Total per resident$2,268

Whole budget $338,000 · 149 residents
Thank you for being a neighbor

Where the money comes from

From the state 67%Interest, fines & other 11%Fees & charges 6%Utility sales 6%Sales taxes 5%From the federal government 4%

An estimate

Wales didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

The school district

Bering Strait School District

Wales’s K–12 school district, shared with Brevig Mission, Diomede, Elim, Gambell, Golovin and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Wales →

$50,455

per pupil · AK $21,070

1,783

students

None

long-term debt

Of the $50,455 per pupil, $26,508 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from

Local 7%State 48%Federal 45%

Alaska districts overall: 24% local, 55% state, 21% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Wales

Local officials aren’t in the public records we use for Wales yet. Neighbors can add them.

Who works for Wales

0 full-time staff

On the payroll in March 2022 (a Census Bureau estimate).

By department full-time, plus part-time

Administration & buildings0 + 11 pt

Sewer & trash0 + 3 pt

Water & other utilities0 + 1 pt

Other0 + 1 pt

full-time

part-time

Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it’s approximate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

Who represents Wales

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Wales.

Politics & elections →

1
Your cityMayor & council

Local officials aren’t on record yet.
2
Alaska HouseState representatives

Neal Foster
3
Alaska SenateState senator

Donny Olson
4
GovernorStatewide

Mike Dunleavy
5
U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress

Nicholas J. Begich III
6
U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Alaska

Lisa Murkowski Dan Sullivan

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Wales’s government

Numbers and hours come from neighbors and the town’s own site (the Handbook). A new one goes live once two neighbors confirm it.

The Handbook →

Questions about how Wales is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →

Weigh in

Does Wales get good value for its tax dollars?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Wales, mostly the Bureau’s estimates). School district: Census school finance survey. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates. Representatives: Open States, the Census and congress-legislators.