Photo: Billwhittaker · Public domainHow is Fort Madison run?
Fort Madison’s city government spent $13 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,282 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.2 million) and the airport ($167,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Fort Madison is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,282 per resident a year, or $3.51 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,313 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Fort Madison’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,313 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 Iowa cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,463, and the middle half spent $1,179–$1,838. Fort Madison spent less than 61% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.4 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Iowa cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Fort Madison itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 4% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Fort Madison reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,313 · 2023: $1,377 · 2024: $1,282.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 92 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,420 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.51% of the home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Fort Madison’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.
Tax bills are one input to Fort Madison’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Fort Madison →
Who’s in charge in Fort Madison
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Fort Madison’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on fortmadison.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 110 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (10,134).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Fort Madison Community School District
Fort Madison’s K–12 school district, shared with Houghton, St. Paul, West Point. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,720 per pupil, $9,304 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.
Iowa districts overall: 43% local, 49% state, 8% federal.
Central Lee Community School District · $11,102 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Fort Madison’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fort Madison alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lee County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican62.8%10,152 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.0%5,659 votesOthers: 2.1% (343 votes).
Most votes in Lee County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Fort Madison lies in Lee County. Every 2024 race in Lee County is on the county’s page.
Lee County’s 2024 results →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.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Fort Madison.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: fortmadison.com ↗
- 2Iowa HouseState representatives
- 3Iowa SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Iowa
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Fort Madison’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Fort Madison’s government
How much does Fort Madison spend per resident?
About $1,282 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,313 was less than 61% of 23 Iowa cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Fort Madison?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,420 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.51% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see fortmadison.com.
Who runs Fort Madison’s government?
See fortmadison.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Fort Madison yet.
How did Fort Madison vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fort Madison alone. Lee County, where 100% of Fort Madison lies, voted Trump 62.8%, Harris 35.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Fort Madison?
92 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $552,756 (about $6.6M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Fort Madison in the state legislature?
State Senate District 50 (Jeff Reichman) and State House District 100 (Blaine Watkins). The House district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Fort Madison’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
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 →