Photo: Lolwhynot3498 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Grundy Center run?
Grundy Center’s city government spent $3.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,211 per resident. Water and other utilities ($566,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Grundy Center is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,211 per resident a year, or $3.32 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,103 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Grundy Center’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,103 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 91 Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,177, and the middle half spent $1,027–$1,402. Grundy Center spent less than 64% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($641,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Grundy Center itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 15% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Grundy Center 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: $1,103 · 2023: $1,211. Per resident it went from $1,103 to $1,211 (up 10%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,670 to 2,797.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,618 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.47% 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 Grundy Center’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 Grundy Center’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Grundy Center →
Who’s in charge in Grundy Center
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Grundy Center’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on grundycentergoodlife.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 112 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (2,797).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Grundy Center Community School District
Grundy Center’s K–12 school district, shared with Holland. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,102 per pupil, $7,790 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.
Grundy Center’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grundy Center alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Grundy County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican70.1%4,998 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.3%2,019 votesOthers: 1.6% (114 votes).
Most votes in Grundy County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Grundy Center lies in Grundy County. Every 2024 race in Grundy County is on the county’s page.
Grundy 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 Grundy Center.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: grundycentergoodlife.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 Grundy Center’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Grundy Center’s government
How much does Grundy Center spend per resident?
About $1,211 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,103 was less than 64% of 91 Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Grundy Center?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,618 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.47% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see grundycentergoodlife.com.
Who runs Grundy Center’s government?
See grundycentergoodlife.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Grundy Center yet.
How did Grundy Center vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Grundy Center alone. Grundy County, where 100% of Grundy Center lies, voted Trump 70.1%, Harris 28.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Grundy Center?
25 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2022 (plus 5 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $149,454 (about $1.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Grundy Center in the state legislature?
State Senate District 27 (Annette Sweeney) and State House District 54 (Josh Meggers). The House district also covers 21 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Grundy Center’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 →