How is Galva run?
Galva’s city government spent $418,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $986 per resident. Water and other utilities ($90,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Galva is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $986 per resident a year, or $2.70 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 46%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$986 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Galva’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($986 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $900, and the middle half spent $632–$1,190. Galva spent more than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($194,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Galva itself left out).
No trend yet
Galva reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 1 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $744 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.93% 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 Galva’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 Galva’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Galva →
Who’s in charge in Galva
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 424 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (424).
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.
Galva-Holstein Community School District
Galva’s K–12 school district, shared with Holstein. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,487 per pupil, $7,393 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Galva’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Galva alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Ida County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican76.1%2,771 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat22.7%826 votesOthers: 1.2% (45 votes).
Most votes in Ida County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Galva lies in Ida County. Every 2024 race in Ida County is on the county’s page.
Ida 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 Galva.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Galva’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Galva’s government
How much does Galva spend per resident?
About $986 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $986 was more than 58% of 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Galva?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $744 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.93% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Galva’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Galva yet.
How did Galva vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Galva alone. Ida County, where 100% of Galva lies, voted Trump 76.1%, Harris 22.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Galva?
1 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $9,852 (about $118,224 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Galva in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Jason Schultz) and State House District 12 (Steven Holt). The House district also covers 24 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Galva’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 →