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Town Hall · Darien

How Darien is run

Darien spent $3.2 million in the year to December 31, 2022, about $2,033 per resident.

Town website
Photo: Praiawart
City budget
$3.2 million
spent, year to December 31, 2022
Per resident
$2,033
Below typical Wisconsin cities ($2,033)
Long-term debt
$7.2 million
$4,547 per resident
City staff
5
full-time · 39 part-time
Typical tax bill
$3,745
a year · WI $3,792

What stands out about how Darien is run

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

★ What stands out · Your share of the budget

About $2,033 per resident a year, or $5.57 a day

The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 23% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 46%From the state 17%Fees & charges 14%Interest, fines & other 9%Utility sales 9%From other local governments 4%Other taxes & licenses 1%From the federal government <1%
The school district

Delavan-Darien School District

Darien’s K–12 school district, shared with Darien, Delavan, Delavan, Richmond, Sharon. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Darien →
$19,822
per pupil · WI $16,459
1,747
students
$18.9 million
long-term debt

Of the $19,822 per pupil, $8,517 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 39%State 49%Federal 13%

Wisconsin districts overall: 39% local, 50% state, 11% federal.

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Darien

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

Who works for Darien

One full-time town employee for every 318 residents

On the payroll in March 2022.

By department full-time, plus part-time

Fire0 + 22 pt
Administration & buildings2 + 9 pt
Parks & libraries0 + 7 pt
Roads & transportation1
Sewer & trash1
Water & other utilities1
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 1 pt
5
full-time
39
part-time
$64,300
average full-time pay, before benefits

Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it’s approximate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,745 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.77% of the home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Wisconsin$3,792
Darien$3,745
$3,745
typical bill a year
1.77%
effective rate
$211,600
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Darien.

Politics & elections →
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Wisconsin HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Wisconsin SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Wisconsin

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

Reach Darien’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 websitedarienwi.us ↗

Questions about how Darien is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Darien 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.

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Add to the handbook

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