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Town Hall · Manson

How Manson is run

Manson spent $2.2 million in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,309 per resident.

Town website
City budget
$2.2 million
spent, year to June 30, 2024
Per resident
$1,309
Below typical Iowa cities ($2,814)
Long-term debt
$3.9 million
$2,354 per resident
City staff
8
full-time · 5 part-time
Typical tax bill
$1,859
a year · IA $2,897

What stands out about how Manson is run

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

★ What stands out · Your share of the budget

About $1,309 per resident a year, or $3.59 a day

The biggest line: water & other utilities, at 21% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 40%Utility sales 23%Fees & charges 15%From the state 10%Sales taxes 9%Interest, fines & other 1%From other local governments 1%Other taxes & licenses <1%
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,859 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.59% of the home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Iowa$2,897
Manson$1,859
$1,859
typical bill a year
1.59%
effective rate
$116,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Manson’s rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.

The school district

Manson Northwest Webster Community School District

Manson’s K–12 school district, shared with Barnum, Clare, Knierim. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Manson →
$11,697
per pupil · IA $13,713
793
students
$2.5 million
long-term debt

Of the $11,697 per pupil, $6,794 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 56%State 40%Federal 4%

Iowa districts overall: 43% local, 49% state, 8% federal.

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

Over the years

Per resident, spending is down 21% since 2022

Spending per resident, by fiscal year. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Spending per resident by year

2022$1,647
2024$1,309
$2.2 million
spent in 2024
$2.5 million
spent in 2022

* A Census Bureau estimate for that year (the town didn’t report most of its figures).

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Manson

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

Who works for Manson

One full-time town employee for every 207 residents

On the payroll in March 2022.

By department full-time, plus part-time

Police3 + 2 pt
Administration & buildings3
Roads & transportation1
Parks & libraries0 + 2 pt
Water & other utilities1
Housing & development0 + 1 pt
8
full-time
5
part-time
$46,700
average full-time pay, before benefits
3
sworn police officers

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

Who represents Manson

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Manson.

Politics & elections →
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Iowa HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Iowa SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Iowa

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

Reach Manson’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 →
Official websitemansoniowa.org ↗

Questions about how Manson is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Manson 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. School district: Census school finance survey. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates. Representatives: Open States, the Census and congress-legislators.

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