How Scenic is run
Scenic spent $132,000 in the year to February 28, 2022, about $2,063 per resident.
What stands out about how Scenic is run
Read from the town’s budget, meetings and records. The page puts what stands out first.
The typical homeowner pays $199 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Scenic’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.
Wall School District 51-5
Scenic’s K–12 school district, shared with Ash, Castle Butte, Cedar Butte, Conata, Fairview and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,625 per pupil, $7,913 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 Scenic
Local officials aren’t in the public records we use for Scenic yet. Neighbors can add them.
About $2,063 per resident a year, or $5.65 a day
The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 86% of spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
One full-time town employee for every 64 residents
On the payroll in March 2022.
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 Scenic’s budget compares
Scenic ranks 2nd 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crooked Creek | $939 | — | — |
| Scenic | $2,063 | — | $199 |
| Imlay | $5,111 | — | — |
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 Scenic.
- 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 Scenic’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 Scenic 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. School district: Census school finance survey. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates. Representatives: Open States, the Census and congress-legislators.