Town Hall · Laurens

How Laurens is run

Laurens spent $111,000 in the year to May 31, 2022, about $459 per resident.

City budget

$111,000

spent, year to May 31, 2022

Per resident

$459

Below typical New York cities ($1,580)

Long-term debt

$875,000

$3,616 per resident

City staff

full-time · 6 part-time

Typical tax bill

$1,903

a year · NY $6,582

What stands out about how Laurens is run

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

A lean budget$459 per resident a year, vs $1,580 for a typical New York city.Lower tax billsThe typical homeowner pays $1,903 a year in property tax, vs $6,582 across New York.Runs its own water & sewer27% of spending goes to water, sewer and trash, paid largely by users’ fees.A shared school districtShares Laurens Central School District with 2 other towns.

★ What stands out · Your share of the budget

About $459 per resident a year, or $1.26 a day

The biggest line: interest on debt, at 42% of spending.

LAURENSYour share · per resident · year to May 31, 2022

Interest on debt$47,000 · 42%$194

Water & other utilities$30,000 · 27%$124

Administration & buildings$22,000 · 20%$91

Roads & transportation$4,000 · 4%$17

Parks & libraries$2,000 · 2%$8

Paid to other governments$2,000 · 2%$8

Other$4,000 · 4%$17

Total per resident$459

Whole budget $111,000 · 242 residents
Thank you for being a neighbor

Where the money comes from

Utility sales 77%From other local governments 9%Property taxes 6%From the state 5%Fees & charges 2%Sales taxes 1%Other taxes & licenses 1%

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,903 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.36% of the home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

New York$6,582

Laurens$1,903

$1,903

typical bill a year

1.36%

effective rate

$139,700

typical home value (Census)

Your own bill

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

Laurens Central School District

Laurens’s K–12 school district, shared with Laurens, New Lisbon. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Laurens →

$28,717

per pupil · NY $34,607

315

students

$8.9 million

long-term debt

Of the $28,717 per pupil, $16,279 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 29%State 61%Federal 9%

New York districts overall: 51% local, 41% state, 8% federal.

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Laurens

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

Who works for Laurens

0 full-time staff

On the payroll in March 2022.

By department full-time, plus part-time

Administration & buildings0 + 4 pt

Water & other utilities0 + 2 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 Laurens

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Laurens.

Politics & elections →

1
Your cityMayor & council

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

Brian Miller
3
New York SenateState senator

Peter Oberacker
4
GovernorStatewide

Kathy Hochul
5
U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress

Josh Riley
6
U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New York

Charles E. Schumer Kirsten E. Gillibrand

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

Reach Laurens’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 Laurens is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →

Weigh in

Does Laurens 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.