Photo: ArtisticAbode · CC BY-SA 3.0In Mount Vernon, 76% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Iowa
Mount Vernon’s city government spent $7.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,610 per resident. Water and other utilities ($741,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Mount Vernon is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,610 per resident a year, or $4.41 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,193 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Mount Vernon’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,193 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 $1,166, and the middle half spent $1,027–$1,402. Mount Vernon spent more than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.2 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Mount Vernon itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 33% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Mount Vernon 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: $1,193 · 2023: $1,610.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,591 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.46% 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 Mount Vernon’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 Mount Vernon’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Mount Vernon →
Who’s in charge in Mount Vernon
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Mount Vernon’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofmtvernon-ia.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 159 residents
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 (4,460).
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.
Mount Vernon Community School District
Mount Vernon’s K–12 school district, shared with Bertram. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,480 per pupil, $7,642 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.
How Mount Vernon voted in 2024
Official results for Mount Vernon’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat65.6%1,658 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican32.4%819 votesOthers: 1.9% (49 votes).
Most votes in Mount Vernon: Kamala D Harris
Linn County: Harris 54.2%, Trump 44.3% · Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
of Mount Vernon’s 3,333 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Iowa: 70%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in the district: Ashley Hinson
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Mount Vernon, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vernon | 65.6% | 32.4% | 1.9% | 2,526 |
| Linn County | 54.2% | 44.3% | 1.4% | 122,369 |
| Iowa | 42.5% | 55.7% | 1.8% | 1,663,506 |
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 Mount Vernon.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofmtvernon-ia.gov ↗
- 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 Mount Vernon’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Mount Vernon’s government
How much does Mount Vernon spend per resident?
About $1,610 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 $1,193 was more than 53% of 91 Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Mount Vernon?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,591 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.46% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofmtvernon-ia.gov.
Who runs Mount Vernon’s government?
See cityofmtvernon-ia.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Mount Vernon yet.
How did Mount Vernon vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 65.6%, Donald J Trump 32.4% (2,526 votes, official results). Linn County: Harris 54.2%, Trump 44.3%. Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%.
How many people work for Mount Vernon?
28 full-time and 27 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $181,580 (about $2.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Mount Vernon in the state legislature?
State Senate District 42 (Charlie McClintock) and State House District 83 (Cindy Golding). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Mount Vernon’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 →