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Town Hall · Porter Township

In Porter Township, 85% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Michigan

Porter Township’s town government spent $590,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $241 per resident.

Day-to-day spending, 2022
$590,000
year to June 30, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$241
In 2022: $241, less than 60% of 686 similar towns
Long-term debt
$2.7M
end of FY2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
0
full-time · 16 part-time · March payroll $7,287
Typical tax bill
$3,482
1.13% of home value · MI 1.25%

What stands out about how Porter Township is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

The school district

Lawton Community School District

Porter Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Lawton, Antwerp Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Porter Township →
$13,365
per pupil · MI $16,528
1,040
students
$18.5 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,365 per pupil, $8,396 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 26%State 68%Federal 5%

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

Also serving Porter Township

Marcellus Community Schools · $16,208 per pupil

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

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $241 per resident a year, or $0.66 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 32%.

Where the money comes from
Interest, fines & other 42%Property taxes 30%From the state 20%Other taxes & licenses 8%Fees & charges <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $436,000; interest on debt $114,000. With these, the whole budget was $1.1 million.
About “Other”.34% of Porter Township’s day-to-day spending ($199,000) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places

$241 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns

Porter Township’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($241 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–$428. Porter Township spent less than 60% of them.

Middle half of the group, $193–$428Median $275Porter Township

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; Porter Township itself left out).

Over the years

No trend yet

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

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,482 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.13% of the home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Prairie Ronde Township$4,008
Porter Township$3,482
Michigan$2,904
Antwerp Township$2,808
Decatur Township$2,343
Marcellus Township$1,880
$3,482
typical bill a year
1.13%
effective rate
$306,800
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Porter Township

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

Check Porter Township’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Porter Township yet.
Elections · 2024 general election

How Porter Township voted in 2024

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

President1,764 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican59.6%1,051 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat39.2%692 votes

Others: 1.2% (21 votes).

Most votes in Porter Township: Donald J Trump

Van Buren County: Trump 56.8%, Harris 41.7% · Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%

Turnout
85%

of Porter Township’s 2,078 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Michigan: 74%.

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

U.S. Senate1,748 votes
Mike RogersMike RogersRepublican58.3%
Elissa SlotkinElissa SlotkinDemocrat39.3%
Others2.4%

Most votes in Porter Township: Mike Rogers

Van Buren County: Rogers 55.6%, Slotkin 41.4% · Michigan: Slotkin 48.6%, Rogers 48.3%

U.S. House · Michigan’s 4th District425,817 votes
Bill HuizengaRepublican55.1%
Jessica SwartzDemocrat43.4%
Others1.6%

Most votes in the district: Bill Huizenga

Whole-district result

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

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Porter Township59.6%39.2%1.2%1,764
Van Buren County56.8%41.7%1.4%41,183
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 Porter Township

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Porter 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 Porter Township compares with the towns next door

Porter Township spent $241 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $186 to $506. 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
Decatur Township$186$2,343
Antwerp Township$198$2,808
Prairie Ronde Township$213$4,008
Marcellus Township$506$1,880
Porter Township$241$3,482

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 Porter Township’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Porter Township’s government

How much does Porter Township spend per resident?

About $241 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 $241 was less than 60% of 686 Michigan towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Porter Township?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,482 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.13% 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 Porter Township’s government?

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

How did Porter Township vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 59.6%, Kamala D Harris 39.2% (1,764 votes, official results). Van Buren County: Trump 56.8%, Harris 41.7%. Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%.

How many people work for Porter Township?

0 full-time and 16 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $7,287 (about $87,444 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Porter Township in the state legislature?

State Senate District 20 (Aric Nesbitt) and State House District 39 (Pauline Wendzel). The House district also covers 34 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Porter 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 →