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Town Hall · Chestertown

How Chestertown is run

Chestertown spent $7.4 million in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,338 per resident.

Town website
City budget
$7.4 million
spent, year to June 30, 2024
Per resident
$1,338
Below typical Maryland cities ($2,027)
Long-term debt
$2.2 million
$403 per resident
City staff
30
full-time · 12 part-time
Typical tax bill
$3,966
a year · MD $4,093

What stands out about how Chestertown 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 $1,338 per resident a year, or $3.67 a day

The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 21% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 39%Fees & charges 30%Income taxes 12%From the state 9%Interest, fines & other 8%Other taxes & licenses 2%Sales taxes <1%From other local governments <1%From the federal government <1%
The school district

Kent County Public Schools

Chestertown’s K–12 school district, shared with Betterton, Galena, Rock Hall, Millington. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Chestertown →
$54,576
per pupil · MD $20,258
1,732
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $54,576 per pupil, $37,507 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 21%State 71%Federal 9%

Maryland districts overall: 47% local, 44% state, 9% federal.

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

Over the years

Per resident, spending is down 8% since 2022

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

Spending per resident by year

2022$1,460
2023$1,460
2024$1,338
City staff
30

full-time in 2025, up from 29 in 2022.

$7.4 million
spent in 2024
$8.2 million
spent in 2023

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Chestertown

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

Who works for Chestertown

One full-time town employee for every 185 residents

On the payroll in March 2025.

By department full-time, plus part-time

Police11
Roads & transportation8
Administration & buildings3 + 9 pt
Water & other utilities7
Parks & libraries1
Other0 + 3 pt
30
full-time
12
part-time
$73,400
average full-time pay, before benefits
10
sworn police officers

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

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,966 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.15% of the home’s value, vs 0.97% across Maryland.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Maryland$4,093
Chestertown$3,966
$3,966
typical bill a year
1.15%
effective rate
$344,000
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who represents Chestertown

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Chestertown.

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

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

Reach Chestertown’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 websitechestertown.com ↗

Questions about how Chestertown is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Chestertown 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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Add to the handbook

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