How is Waterville run?
Waterville’s city government spent $2.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,377 per resident. Water and other utilities ($560,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Waterville is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,377 per resident a year, or $3.77 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 35%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,088 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Waterville’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,088 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,112, and the middle half spent $740–$1,505. Waterville spent less than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($670,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Waterville itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 19% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Waterville 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: $1,088 · 2024: $1,377. Per resident it went from $1,088 to $1,377 (up 27%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,870 to 1,753.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,601 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.10% of the home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Waterville’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 Waterville’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Waterville →
Who’s in charge in Waterville
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 175 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 (1,753).
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.
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Public School District
Waterville’s K–12 school district, shared with Elysian, Morristown, Waterville Township, Elysian Township, Morristown Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,033 per pupil, $8,255 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.
Minnesota districts overall: 30% local, 62% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Waterville’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Waterville alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Le Sueur County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican65.8%11,503 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.3%5,636 votesOthers: 1.9% (330 votes).
Most votes in Le Sueur County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Waterville lies in Le Sueur County. Every 2024 race in Le Sueur County is on the county’s page.
Le Sueur County’s 2024 results →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 Waterville.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Minnesota HouseState representatives
- 3Minnesota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Minnesota
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Waterville’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Waterville’s government
How much does Waterville spend per resident?
About $1,377 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,088 was less than 52% of 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Waterville?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,601 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.10% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Waterville’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Waterville yet.
How did Waterville vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Waterville alone. Le Sueur County, where 100% of Waterville lies, voted Trump 65.8%, Harris 32.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Waterville?
10 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $53,618 (about $643,416 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Waterville in the state legislature?
State Senate District 22 (Rich Draheim) and State House District 22B (Terry Stier). The House district also covers 33 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Waterville’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 →