Town Hall · Gaines

Gaines, MI town hall & government

Gaines spent $17.3 million in the year to December 31, 2022, about $628 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Gaines's government.

Town budget

Where Gaines's money goes

Spent
$17.3 million
fiscal year to December 31, 2022
Per resident
$628
typical Michigan towns: $355
Long-term debt
None
none outstanding at year end
Sewer & trash
$6 million35%
Paid to other governments
$4.4 million26%
Water & other utilities
$1.8 million10%
Fire
$1.5 million9%
Administration & buildings
$1.2 million7%
Police
$942,0005%
Roads & transportation
$445,0003%
Parks & libraries
$314,0002%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$295,0002%
Health & welfare
$52,000<1%
Other
$373,0002%

Where the money comes from

  • Interest, fines & other 27%
  • Fees & charges 23%
  • Utility sales 19%
  • From the state 19%
  • Property taxes 8%
  • Other taxes & licenses 4%
  • From the federal government <1%
  • Sales taxes <1%
Town workforce · Census estimate

Who works for Gaines

Full-time staff
15
55 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$73,400
a year, before benefits
Full-time firefighters
4
on the town payroll
Fire
4 full-time53 part
Administration & buildings
7 full-time1 part
Water & other utilities
3 full-time
Other
1 full-time1 part

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2022. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate. Gaines didn't report its staffing to the Census Bureau, so these are the Bureau's estimates.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Caledonia Community Schools

Gaines's K–12 school district, shared with Caledonia, Caledonia, Bowne and Cascade. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$15,092
Michigan: $16,528
Students
4,628
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$160.4 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from Michigan districts overall: 34% local, 57% state, 9% federal

  • Local 45%
  • State 51%
  • Federal 4%

Of the $15,092 per pupil, $9,106 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Also serving Gaines: Kentwood Public Schools ($16,317 per pupil) · Byron Center Public Schools ($13,898 per pupil).

Property tax

What homeowners in Gaines pay

Typical tax bill
$3,241
a year · Michigan typical $2,904
Effective rate
1.00%
of home value · Michigan 1.25%
Typical home value
$325,200
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Local

Contact Gaines's government

Town hall & decisions in Gaines →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Gaines

Gaines is represented in Congress by Senators Gary C. Peters and Elissa Slotkin and Representative Hillary J. Scholten. Gretchen Whitmer is governor.

All of Gaines's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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Gaines

Michigan · MI · Kent County
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