Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Hartly

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Hartly DE sign and flagpole at DE 11 and DE 44 intersectionPhoto: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Hartly

Hartly spent less per resident in 2022 than 74% of similar cities

Hartly’s town government spent $27,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $375 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5,000) are counted separately.

Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Delaware.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$27,000
year to December 31, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$375
In 2022: $303, less than 74% of 23 similar cities
Long-term debt
$25,000
end of 2023, reported
Typical tax bill
$523
0.60% of home value · DE 0.50%

What stands out about how Hartly is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$303 per resident in 2022: less than 74% of them

Hartly’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($303 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 Delaware cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $576, and the middle half spent $294–$2,349. Hartly spent less than 74% of them.

Middle half of the group, $294–$2,349Median $576Hartly

Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
23

Delaware cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Hartly itself left out).

Your share of the 2023 budget

About $375 per resident a year, or $1.03 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 70%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 53%From the state 23%Other taxes & licenses 18%Interest, fines & other 8%
Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $1,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $33,000.
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 17% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Hartly reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$23,000
2023$27,000

Per resident: 2022: $303 · 2023: $375. Per resident it went from $303 to $375 (up 24%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 76 to 72.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $523 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.60% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Delaware$1,768
Hartly$523
$523
typical bill a year
0.60%
effective rate
$87,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Tax bills are one input to Hartly’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hartly →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Hartly

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

Check Hartly’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Hartly yet.
The school district

Capital School District

Hartly’s K–12 school district, shared with Cheswold, Little Creek, Dover, Leipsic. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Hartly →
$23,521
per pupil · DE $22,312
6,547
students
$170.2 million
long-term debt

Of the $23,521 per pupil, $12,903 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 24%State 60%Federal 16%

Delaware districts overall: 32% local, 57% state, 11% federal.

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Hartly’s votes are counted by county

Delaware reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Hartly alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Kent County’s results.

President · Kent County’s results88,141 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat50.2%44,222 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican48.2%42,458 votes

Others: 1.7% (1,461 votes).

Most votes in Kent County: Kamala D Harris

Delaware: Harris 56.5%, Trump 41.8%

The county’s page

100% of Hartly lies in Kent County. Every 2024 race in Kent County is on the county’s page.

Kent County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.

Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.

Who represents Hartly

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Hartly.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Delaware HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Delaware SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Delaware

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

Reach Hartly’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Hartly’s government

How much does Hartly spend per resident?

About $375 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $303 was less than 74% of 23 Delaware cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Hartly?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $523 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.60% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.

Who runs Hartly’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hartly yet.

How did Hartly vote in 2024?

Delaware counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Hartly alone. Kent County, where 100% of Hartly lies, voted Harris 50.2%, Trump 48.2% for president; its page has every race.

Who represents Hartly in the state legislature?

State Senate District 15 (Dave Lawson) and State House District 11 (Jeff Spiegelman). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Hartly’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →