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Town Hall · Manteo

How Manteo is run

Manteo spent $8.7 million in the year to June 30, 2024, about $5,439 per resident.

Town website
Photo: Morgan Riley; building by Cahoon & Kasten architects (2004)
City budget
$8.7 million
spent, year to June 30, 2024
Per resident
$5,439
Above typical North Carolina cities ($2,639)
Long-term debt
$693,000
$431 per resident
City staff
29
full-time · 3 part-time
Typical tax bill
$2,516
a year · NC $1,896

What stands out about how Manteo is run

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

★ What stands out · Who runs it

Who runs Manteo

From public records, which can lag behind an election. Tell us if a name is out of date.

SW
Sherry Butcher WickstromMayorSince 2023 Wikidata ↗ Out of date? Sign in to tell us
Your share of the budget

About $5,439 per resident a year, or $14.90 a day

The biggest line: police, at 18% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 29%Sales taxes 27%Fees & charges 15%Interest, fines & other 12%Utility sales 11%From the state 5%Other taxes & licenses 1%
The school district

Dare County Schools

Manteo’s K–12 school district, shared with Duck, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Southern Shores. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Manteo →
$15,072
per pupil · NC $13,045
5,102
students
$12.8 million
long-term debt

Of the $15,072 per pupil, $9,704 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 41%State 50%Federal 9%

North Carolina districts overall: 26% local, 57% state, 17% federal.

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

Over the years

Per resident, spending is up 18% since 2022

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

Spending per resident by year

2022$4,625
2024$5,439
$8.7 million
spent in 2024
$6.8 million
spent in 2022

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

Who works for Manteo

One full-time town employee for every 55 residents

On the payroll in March 2022.

By department full-time, plus part-time

Police10
Sewer & trash7
Administration & buildings5 + 1 pt
Water & other utilities5
Parks & libraries1
Other1 + 2 pt
29
full-time
3
part-time
$68,700
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 $2,516 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.57% of the home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Manteo$2,516
North Carolina$1,896
$2,516
typical bill a year
0.57%
effective rate
$444,400
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who represents Manteo

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Manteo.

Politics & elections →
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    North Carolina HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    North Carolina SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of North Carolina

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

Reach Manteo’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 websitetownofmanteo.com ↗

Questions about how Manteo is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Manteo 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. Officials: Open States and Wikidata. Representatives: Open States, the Census and congress-legislators.

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