How is Shellsburg run?
Shellsburg’s city government spent $736,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $769 per resident. Water and other utilities ($131,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Shellsburg is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $769 per resident a year, or $2.11 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 35%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$769 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Shellsburg’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($769 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. Shellsburg spent less than 64% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($256,000), 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; Shellsburg itself left out).
No trend yet
Shellsburg reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,718 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.55% 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 Shellsburg’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 Shellsburg’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Shellsburg →
Who’s in charge in Shellsburg
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 319 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (957).
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.
Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District
Shellsburg’s K–12 school district, shared with Garrison, Vinton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,224 per pupil, $9,090 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.
Shellsburg’s votes are counted by county
Iowa reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Shellsburg alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Benton County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.0%9,549 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.8%4,739 votesOthers: 1.3% (182 votes).
Most votes in Benton County: Donald J Trump
Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Shellsburg lies in Benton County. Every 2024 race in Benton County is on the county’s page.
Benton 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 Shellsburg.
- 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 Shellsburg’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Shellsburg’s government
How much does Shellsburg spend per resident?
About $769 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 $769 was less than 64% of 802 Iowa cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Shellsburg?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,718 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.55% 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 Shellsburg’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Shellsburg yet.
How did Shellsburg vote in 2024?
Iowa counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Shellsburg alone. Benton County, where 100% of Shellsburg lies, voted Trump 66.0%, Harris 32.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Shellsburg?
3 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $18,597 (about $223,164 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Shellsburg in the state legislature?
State Senate District 42 (Charlie McClintock) and State House District 84 (Tom Gerhold). The House district also covers 14 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Shellsburg’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 →