Dexter Grist Mill · Photo: HalstynGuenther · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Dexter run?
Dexter’s town government spent $4.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,173 per resident. The airport ($1.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dexter is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
School Administrative District 46
Dexter’s K–12 school district, shared with Exeter, Garland, Ripley. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $21,395 per pupil, $12,541 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.
Maine districts overall: 52% local, 40% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,173 per resident a year, or $3.21 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 50%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$811 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Dexter’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($811 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 67 Maine towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $834, and the middle half spent $606–$1,102. Dexter spent less than 54% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($303,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Maine towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dexter itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 49% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Dexter 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: $811 · 2024: $1,173.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,186 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.28% of the home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Dexter’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 Dexter’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dexter →
Who’s in charge in Dexter
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Dexter’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on dextermaine.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 191 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (3,815).
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.
How Dexter voted in 2024
Official results for Dexter’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican63.6%1,271 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat34.7%693 votesOthers: 1.7% (33 votes).
Most votes in Dexter: Donald J Trump
Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%
of Dexter’s 3,005 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Maine: 75%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Dexter: Demi Kouzounas
Maine: Jr 52.1%, Kouzounas 34.6%
President, 2024: Dexter, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dexter | 63.6% | 34.7% | 1.7% | 1,997 |
| Maine | 45.5% | 52.4% | 2.1% | 831,375 |
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 Dexter.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: dextermaine.org ↗
- 2Maine HouseState representatives
- 3Maine SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Maine
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Dexter compares with the towns next door
Dexter spent $811 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $577 to $650. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Corinna | $577 | $1,565 |
| Sangerville | $636 | $1,349 |
| Garland | $650 | $1,536 |
| Ripley | estimate | $1,270 |
| Dexter | $811 | $2,186 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Dexter’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Dexter’s government
How much does Dexter spend per resident?
About $1,173 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $811 was less than 54% of 67 Maine towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dexter?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,186 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.28% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see dextermaine.org.
Who runs Dexter’s government?
See dextermaine.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dexter yet.
How did Dexter vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 63.6%, Kamala D Harris 34.7% (1,997 votes, official results). . Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%.
How many people work for Dexter?
20 full-time and 14 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $105,798 (about $1.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Dexter in the state legislature?
State Senate District 4 (Stacey Guerin) and State House District 32 (Steven Foster). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dexter’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 →