Town Hall · Brookings

Brookings, SD town hall & government

Brookings spent $217.7 million in the year to December 31, 2024, about $9,073 per resident.

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

Local leadership

Who runs Brookings

Oepke "Ope" NiemeyerMayorSince 2021 Wikidata ↗ Out of date? Sign in to tell us

From public records (Open States and Wikidata), which can lag behind an election. If a name is out of date, tell us: when two neighbors agree, it's hidden until the records catch up.

Town budget

Where Brookings's money goes

Spent
$217.7 million
fiscal year to December 31, 2024
Per resident
$9,073
typical South Dakota cities: $2,666
Long-term debt
$46.8 million
$1,952 per resident
Water & other utilities
$79.5 million37%
Health & welfare
$70.3 million32%
Sewer & trash
$11.8 million5%
Parks & libraries
$7.4 million3%
Police
$6.4 million3%
Administration & buildings
$5.7 million3%
Roads & transportation
$4.3 million2%
Interest on debt
$2 million1%
Other
$30.3 million14%

Where the money comes from

  • Fees & charges 52%
  • Utility sales 25%
  • Sales taxes 10%
  • From the federal government 7%
  • Property taxes 3%
  • From the state 2%
  • Interest, fines & other 1%
  • Other taxes & licenses <1%
Town workforce

Who works for Brookings

Full-time staff
536
367 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$76,500
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
39
and 3 full-time firefighters
Health & welfare
274 full-time287 part
Police
51 full-time10 part
Water & other utilities
50 full-time11 part
Parks & libraries
29 full-time31 part
Sewer & trash
27 full-time1 part
Administration & buildings
18 full-time7 part
Roads & transportation
20 full-time1 part
Housing & development
8 full-time
Fire
3 full-time1 part
Other
56 full-time18 part

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2025. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Brookings School District 05-1

Brookings's K–12 school district, shared with Aurora, Aurora, Bushnell, Medary, Trenton and Sterling. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$12,882
South Dakota: $13,040
Students
3,446
in the whole district
Long-term debt
None
at year end

Where the district's money comes from South Dakota districts overall: 50% local, 31% state, 19% federal

  • Local 53%
  • State 39%
  • Federal 8%

Of the $12,882 per pupil, $7,730 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.

Property tax

What homeowners in Brookings pay

Typical tax bill
$3,097
a year · South Dakota typical $2,724
Effective rate
1.17%
of home value · South Dakota 1.06%
Typical home value
$265,500
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 Brookings's government

Town hall & decisions in Brookings →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Brookings

Brookings is represented in Congress by Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds and Representative Dusty Johnson. Larry Rhoden is governor.

All of Brookings'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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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01