Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Custer Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Town Hall · Custer Township

In Custer Township, 95% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Michigan

Custer Township’s town government spent $514,000 on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2022, about $456 per resident.

Day-to-day spending, 2022
$514,000
year to March 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$456
In 2022: $456, more than 78% of 686 similar towns
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of FY2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
3
full-time · 9 part-time · March payroll $25,391
Typical tax bill
$1,932
0.81% of home value · MI 1.25%

What stands out about how Custer Township is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$456 per resident in 2022: more than 78% of them

Custer Township’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($456 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 686 Michigan towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $275, and the middle half spent $193–$426. Custer Township spent more than 78% of them.

Middle half of the group, $193–$426Median $275Custer Township

Includes sewer and trash ($119,000), 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
686

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

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $456 per resident a year, or $1.25 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 34%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 78%From the state 16%Interest, fines & other 4%Fees & charges 1%

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

Over the years

No trend yet

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

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,932 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.81% of the home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Helena Township$3,507
Michigan$2,904
Forest Home Township$2,797
Kearney Township$1,993
Custer Township$1,932
Rapid River Township$1,599
Mancelona Township$1,429
$1,932
typical bill a year
0.81%
effective rate
$237,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Custer Township

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

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

One full-time town employee for every 376 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 (1,128).

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

Administration & buildings3 + 5 pt
Other0 + 4 pt
3
full-time
9
part-time
$25,391
payroll for March 2022
$304,692
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$66,500
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Custer Township had 2.7 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 456 of the 686 Michigan towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 0.0: Custer Township had more than 89% 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.

The school district

Mancelona Public Schools

Custer Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Helena Township, Mancelona Township, Mancelona, Coldsprings Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Custer Township →
$16,861
per pupil · MI $16,528
791
students
$15.7 million
long-term debt

Of the $16,861 per pupil, $8,794 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 47%State 41%Federal 12%

Michigan districts overall: 34% local, 57% state, 9% federal.

Also serving Custer Township

Bellaire Public Schools · $23,820 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

How Custer Township voted in 2024

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

President853 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican67.1%572 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat31.9%272 votes

Others: 1.1% (9 votes).

Most votes in Custer Township: Donald J Trump

Antrim County: Trump 61.3%, Harris 37.5% · Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%

Turnout
95%

of Custer Township’s 896 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Michigan: 74%.

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

U.S. Senate846 votes
Mike RogersMike RogersRepublican65.4%
Elissa SlotkinElissa SlotkinDemocrat31.3%
Others3.3%

Most votes in Custer Township: Mike Rogers

Antrim County: Rogers 60.6%, Slotkin 36.9% · Michigan: Slotkin 48.6%, Rogers 48.3%

U.S. House · Michigan’s 1st District477,184 votes
Jack BergmanRepublican59.2%
Callie BarrDemocrat37.9%
Others2.9%

Most votes in the district: Jack Bergman

Whole-district result

President, 2024: Custer Township, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Custer Township67.1%31.9%1.1%853
Antrim County61.3%37.5%1.3%16,883
Michigan49.7%48.3%2.0%5,664,186
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; Elissa Slotkin: U.S. House portrait (congress-legislators project); Mike Rogers: U.S. House portrait (congress-legislators project). 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 Custer Township

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Custer Township.

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

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

Next door

How Custer Township compares with the towns next door

Custer Township spent $456 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $144 to $492. 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
Kearney Township$144$1,993
Mancelona Township$167$1,429
Rapid River Township$373$1,599
Forest Home Township$491$2,797
Helena Township$492$3,507
Custer Township$456$1,932

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 Custer Township’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Custer Township’s government

How much does Custer Township spend per resident?

About $456 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $456 was more than 78% of 686 Michigan towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Custer Township?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,932 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.81% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.

Who runs Custer Township’s government?

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

How did Custer Township vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 67.1%, Kamala D Harris 31.9% (853 votes, official results). Antrim County: Trump 61.3%, Harris 37.5%. Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%.

How many people work for Custer Township?

3 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $25,391 (about $304,692 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Custer Township in the state legislature?

State Senate District 37 (John Damoose) and State House District 104 (J.R. Roth). The House district also covers 69 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Custer Township’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 →