How Fairfax is run
Fairfax spent $27,000 in the year to February 28, 2022, about $435 per resident. (A Census Bureau estimate.)
What stands out about how Fairfax is run
Read from the town’s budget, meetings and records. The page puts what stands out first.
The typical homeowner pays $1,625 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.68% of the home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Fairfax’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.
South Central School District 26-5
Fairfax’s K–12 school district, shared with Bonesteel, Fairfax, Pleasant Valley, Schriever, Star Valley. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,581 per pupil, $7,097 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.
South Dakota districts overall: 50% local, 31% state, 19% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Who’s in charge in Fairfax
Local officials aren’t in the public records we use for Fairfax yet. Neighbors can add them.
About $435 per resident a year, or $1.19 a day
The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 89% of spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Fairfax didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
0 full-time staff
On the payroll in March 2022 (a Census Bureau estimate).
By department full-time, plus part-time
Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it’s approximate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
How Fairfax’s budget compares
Fairfax ranks 3rd lowest of 3 for spending per resident. Towns that run their own schools spend more. Tap a town to see its Town Hall.
| Town | Spent per resident | Debt per resident | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Valley | $90 | — | $1,722 |
| Star Valley | $162 | — | $2,500 |
| Fairfax | $435 | — | $1,625 |
The town government’s own spending in its newest year (often a Census Bureau estimate). — = no figures.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Fairfax.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2South Dakota HouseState representatives
- 3South Dakota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of South Dakota
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Fairfax’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.
Questions about how Fairfax is run?
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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 (for Fairfax, mostly the Bureau’s estimates). School district: Census school finance survey. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates. Representatives: Open States, the Census and congress-legislators.