Photo: Paltron · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Garden City run?
Garden City’s city government spent $731,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $462 per resident.
What stands out about how Garden City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Sherwood Cass R-VIII School District
Garden City’s K–12 school district, shared with Blairstown, Bogard Township, Creighton, Urich, White Oak Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,293 per pupil, $6,497 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.
Missouri districts overall: 54% local, 35% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $462 per resident a year, or $1.27 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 38%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$306 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Garden City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($306 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 356 Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $322, and the middle half spent $137–$618. Garden City spent less than 51% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Garden City itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 46% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Garden City 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: $306 · 2024: $462. Per resident it went from $306 to $462 (up 51%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,638 to 1,583.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,448 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.82% of the home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Garden City’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 Garden City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Garden City →
Who’s in charge in Garden City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 317 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 (1,583).
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.
Garden City’s votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Garden City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cass County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican65.4%38,792 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat33.3%19,753 votesOthers: 1.4% (804 votes).
Most votes in Cass County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of Garden City lies in Cass County. Every 2024 race in Cass County is on the county’s page.
Cass 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 Garden City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Missouri HouseState representatives
- 3Missouri SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Missouri
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Garden City’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Garden City’s government
How much does Garden City spend per resident?
About $462 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $306 was less than 51% of 356 Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Garden City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,448 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.82% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Garden City’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Garden City yet.
How did Garden City vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Garden City alone. Cass County, where 100% of Garden City lies, voted Trump 65.4%, Harris 33.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Garden City?
5 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $18,198 (about $218,376 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Garden City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 31 (Rick Brattin) and State House District 62 (Sherri Gallick). The House district also covers 26 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Garden City’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 →