Photo: JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Sweet Springs run?
Sweet Springs’ city government spent $478,000 on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2022, about $338 per resident. Water and other utilities ($78,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sweet Springs is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $338 per resident a year, or $0.93 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$338 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Sweet Springs’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($338 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 $313, and the middle half spent $137–$618. Sweet Springs spent more than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($101,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sweet Springs itself left out).
No trend yet
Sweet Springs reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $930 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.86% 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 Sweet Springs’ 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 Sweet Springs’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sweet Springs →
Who’s in charge in Sweet Springs
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 142 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,415).
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.
Sweet Springs R-VII School District
Sweet Springs’ K–12 school district, shared with Emma. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,702 per pupil, $8,373 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.
Sweet Springs’ votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sweet Springs alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Saline County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.6%6,498 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat29.2%2,726 votesOthers: 1.1% (106 votes).
Most votes in Saline County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of Sweet Springs lies in Saline County. Every 2024 race in Saline County is on the county’s page.
Saline 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 Sweet Springs.
- 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 Sweet Springs’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Sweet Springs’ government
How much does Sweet Springs spend per resident?
About $338 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 $338 was more than 53% of 356 Missouri cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sweet Springs?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $930 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.86% 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 Sweet Springs’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sweet Springs yet.
How did Sweet Springs vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sweet Springs alone. Saline County, where 100% of Sweet Springs lies, voted Trump 69.6%, Harris 29.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sweet Springs?
10 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $30,804 (about $369,648 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Sweet Springs in the state legislature?
State Senate District 21 (Kurtis Gregory) and State House District 51 (Mark Nolte). The House district also covers 20 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sweet Springs’ 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 →