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The Ferry, Solon, MEPhoto: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
Town Hall · Solon

In Solon, 78% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Maine

Solon’s town government spent $738,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $685 per resident.

Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Maine.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$738,000
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$685
In 2022: $685, less than 54% of 100 similar towns
Long-term debt
$15,000
end of 2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
4
full-time · 11 part-time · March payroll $22,630
Typical tax bill
$1,854
1.01% of home value · ME 1.02%

What stands out about how Solon is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

The school district

School Administrative District 74

Solon’s K–12 school district, shared with Anson, Embden, New Portland. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Solon →
$21,107
per pupil · ME $20,630
588
students
$911,000
long-term debt

Of the $21,107 per pupil, $12,175 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 50%State 38%Federal 12%

Maine districts overall: 52% local, 40% state, 8% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $685 per resident a year, or $1.88 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 33%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 56%From the state 39%Interest, fines & other 2%From the federal government 2%Fees & charges 1%Sales taxes <1%Other taxes & licenses <1%

Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Solon collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $608,000; interest on debt $1,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $1.4 million.
Compared with similar places

$685 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns

Solon’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($685 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 100 Maine towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $764, and the middle half spent $568–$1,149. Solon spent less than 54% of them.

Middle half of the group, $568–$1,149Median $764Solon

Includes sewer and trash ($86,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
100

Maine towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Solon itself left out).

Over the years

No trend yet

Solon reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,854 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.01% of the home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Brighton plantation$4,500
Maine$3,036
Madison$1,983
Solon$1,854
Embden$1,804
Athens$1,355
Bingham$1,059
$1,854
typical bill a year
1.01%
effective rate
$183,600
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Solon’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 Solon’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Solon →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Solon

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

Check Solon’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Solon yet.
Who works for Solon

One full-time town employee for every 270 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 (1,078).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Administration & buildings1 + 6 pt
Roads & transportation3 + 1 pt
Sewer & trash0 + 2 pt
Fire0 + 1 pt
Parks & libraries0 + 1 pt
4
full-time
11
part-time
$22,630
payroll for March 2022
$271,560
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$43,000
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Solon had 3.7 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 74 of the 100 Maine towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 2.4: Solon had more than 65% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

Elections · 2024 general election

How Solon voted in 2024

Official results for Solon’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.

President624 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican61.7%385 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat35.6%222 votes

Others: 2.7% (17 votes).

Most votes in Solon: Donald J Trump

Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%

Turnout
78%

of Solon’s 796 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Maine: 75%.

Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).

U.S. Senate606 votes
Demi KouzounasRepublican49.2%
Angus S King Jr43.2%
Others7.6%

Most votes in Solon: Demi Kouzounas

Maine: Jr 52.1%, Kouzounas 34.6%

President, 2024: Solon, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Solon61.7%35.6%2.7%624
Maine45.5%52.4%2.1%831,375
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Solon

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Solon.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Maine HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Maine SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Maine

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Solon compares with the towns next door

Solon spent $685 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $419 to $3,221. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Madison$419$1,983
Embden$730$1,804
Athens$3,221 runs schools$1,355
Binghamestimate$1,059
Brighton plantationestimate$4,500
Solon$685$1,854

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 Solon’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Solon’s government

How much does Solon spend per resident?

About $685 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $685 was less than 54% of 100 Maine towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Solon?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,854 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.01% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Maine. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.

Who runs Solon’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Solon yet.

How did Solon vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 61.7%, Kamala D Harris 35.6% (624 votes, official results). . Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%.

How many people work for Solon?

4 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $22,630 (about $271,560 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Solon in the state legislature?

State Senate District 5 (Russell Black) and State House District 72 (Liz Caruso). The House district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Solon’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →