St. Mary's Parish Church Buildings · Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 3.0Riverside spent more per resident in 2022 than 85% of similar cities
Riverside’s city government spent $1.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,502 per resident. Water and other utilities ($345,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Riverside is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,405 per resident in 2022: more than 85% of them
Riverside’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,405 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–$1,186. Riverside spent more than 85% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($369,000), 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; Riverside itself left out).
About $1,502 per resident a year, or $4.12 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Riverside 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: $1,405 · 2023: $1,502.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,871 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.56% 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 Riverside’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 Riverside’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Riverside →
Who’s in charge in Riverside
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Riverside’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofriversideiowa.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 528 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 (1,055).
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.
Highland Community School District
Riverside’s K–12 school district, shared with Ainsworth. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,889 per pupil, $7,381 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.
Riverside’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Riverside alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Washington County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.6%7,119 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.2%4,297 votesOthers: 1.2% (135 votes).
Most votes in Washington County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Riverside lies in Washington County. Every 2024 race in Washington County is on the county’s page.
Washington 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 Riverside.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofriversideiowa.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 Riverside’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Riverside’s government
How much does Riverside spend per resident?
About $1,502 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 $1,405 was more than 85% of 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Riverside?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,871 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.56% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofriversideiowa.com.
Who runs Riverside’s government?
See cityofriversideiowa.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Riverside yet.
How did Riverside vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Riverside alone. Washington County, where 100% of Riverside lies, voted Trump 61.6%, Harris 37.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Riverside?
2 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $12,569 (about $150,828 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Riverside in the state legislature?
State Senate District 46 (Dawn Driscoll) and State House District 92 (Heather Hora). The House district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Riverside’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 →