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Town Hall · Westby

How Westby is run

Westby spent $12.9 million in the year to December 31, 2022, about $5,727 per resident.

City budget
$12.9 million
spent, year to December 31, 2022
Per resident
$5,727
Above typical Wisconsin cities ($2,033)
Long-term debt
$4.1 million
$1,814 per resident
City staff
17
full-time · 15 part-time
Typical tax bill
$2,427
a year · WI $3,792

What stands out about how Westby is run

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

★ What stands out · Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $2,427 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.39% of the home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Christiana$4,018
Wisconsin$3,792
Viroqua$3,769
Westby$2,427
$2,427
typical bill a year
1.39%
effective rate
$174,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Your share of the budget

About $5,727 per resident a year, or $15.69 a day

The biggest line: health & welfare, at 34% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 37%Utility sales 23%From the federal government 16%From the state 14%Property taxes 7%Interest, fines & other 2%From other local governments 1%Other taxes & licenses <1%
The school district

Westby Area School District

Westby’s K–12 school district, shared with Chaseburg, Coon Valley, Coon, Hamburg, Christiana and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Westby →
$16,649
per pupil · WI $16,459
995
students
$7.6 million
long-term debt

Of the $16,649 per pupil, $9,487 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 31%State 57%Federal 12%

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 Westby

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

Who works for Westby

One full-time town employee for every 133 residents

On the payroll in March 2022.

By department full-time, plus part-time

Administration & buildings4 + 8 pt
Police4 + 3 pt
Parks & libraries1 + 4 pt
Sewer & trash3
Water & other utilities3
Roads & transportation2
17
full-time
15
part-time
$52,300
average full-time pay, before benefits
4
sworn police officers

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

Next door

How Westby’s budget compares

Westby 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.

Spends the leastSpends the mostNo figures
TownSpent per residentDebt per residentTax bill
Viroqua$384$21$3,769
Christiana$880$455$4,018
Westby$5,727$1,814$2,427

The town government’s own spending in its newest year (often a Census Bureau estimate). — = no figures.

Who represents Westby

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Westby.

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 Westby’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 Westby is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Westby 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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