Photo: User:Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0In West Gardiner, 83% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Maine
West Gardiner’s town government spent $1.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to January 31, 2023, about $473 per resident.
What stands out about how West Gardiner is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
School Administrative District 11
West Gardiner’s K–12 school district, shared with Gardiner, Pittston, Randolph. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,783 per pupil, $8,925 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 $473 per resident a year, or $1.30 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$779 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
West Gardiner’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($779 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. West Gardiner spent less than 55% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($96,000), 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; West Gardiner itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 34% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years West Gardiner 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: $779 · 2023: $473. Per resident it went from $779 to $473 (down 39%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 3,376 to 3,667.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,282 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.75% 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 West Gardiner’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 West Gardiner’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in West Gardiner →
Who’s in charge in West Gardiner
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 917 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 (3,667).
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 West Gardiner voted in 2024
Official results for West Gardiner’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican56.5%1,395 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat41.5%1,025 votesOthers: 2.0% (50 votes).
Most votes in West Gardiner: Donald J Trump
Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%
of West Gardiner’s 2,975 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Maine: 75%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in West Gardiner: Angus S King Jr
Maine: Jr 52.1%, Kouzounas 34.6%
President, 2024: West Gardiner, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Gardiner | 56.5% | 41.5% | 2.0% | 2,470 |
| 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 West Gardiner.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 West Gardiner compares with the towns next door
West Gardiner spent $779 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $613 to $3,573. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Farmingdale | $613 | $2,574 |
| Manchester | $727 | $3,486 |
| Winthrop | $3,573 runs schools | $3,506 |
| Litchfield | estimate | $2,545 |
| Gardiner | estimate | $2,742 |
| Monmouth | estimate | $3,139 |
| West Gardiner | $779 | $2,282 |
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 West Gardiner’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about West Gardiner’s government
How much does West Gardiner spend per resident?
About $473 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to January 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $779 was less than 55% 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 West Gardiner?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,282 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.75% 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 West Gardiner’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for West Gardiner yet.
How did West Gardiner vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 56.5%, Kamala D Harris 41.5% (2,470 votes, official results). . Maine: Harris 52.4%, Trump 45.5%.
How many people work for West Gardiner?
4 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $24,993 (about $299,916 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents West Gardiner in the state legislature?
State Senate District 14 (Craig Hickman) and State House District 55 (Dan Shagoury). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about West Gardiner’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 →