How is East Helena run?
East Helena’s city government spent $1.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $890 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: East Helena didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how East Helena is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $890 per resident a year, or $2.44 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
East Helena didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for East Helena yet
Every year of East Helena’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $2,378 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.82% of the home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at East Helena’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 East Helena’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in East Helena →
Who’s in charge in East Helena
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
East Helena’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on easthelenamt.us ↗.
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. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,130).
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.
East Helena K-12
East Helena’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,159 per pupil, $6,190 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.
Montana districts overall: 44% local, 39% state, 17% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
East Helena’s votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for East Helena alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lewis and Clark County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican51.1%21,479 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat45.4%19,085 votesOthers: 3.5% (1,459 votes).
Most votes in Lewis and Clark County: Donald J Trump
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of East Helena lies in Lewis and Clark County. Every 2024 race in Lewis and Clark County is on the county’s page.
Lewis and Clark 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 East Helena.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: easthelenamt.us ↗
- 2Montana HouseState representatives
- 3Montana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Montana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How East Helena compares with the towns next door
East Helena’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 0 of the 1 towns next door reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Helena | estimate | $3,552 |
| East Helena | estimate | $2,378 |
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 East Helena’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about East Helena’s government
How much does East Helena spend per resident?
About $890 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (East Helena didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $2.6 million.
What is the property tax rate in East Helena?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,378 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.82% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see easthelenamt.us.
Who runs East Helena’s government?
See easthelenamt.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for East Helena yet.
How did East Helena vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for East Helena alone. Lewis and Clark County, where 100% of East Helena lies, voted Trump 51.1%, Harris 45.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for East Helena?
15 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $77,193 (about $926,316 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents East Helena in the state legislature?
State Senate District 42 (Mary Ann Dunwell) and State House District 83 (Jill Cohenour). The House district also covers parts of 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about East Helena’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 (for East Helena, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →