Patterson Law Office · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainHow is Central City run?
Central City’s city government spent $6.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $2,057 per resident. The airport ($86,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Central City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Central City Public Schools
Central City’s K–12 school district, shared with Midland Township, Lone Tree Township, Mead Township, Prairie Creek Township, Central Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,023 per pupil, $9,810 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.
Nebraska districts overall: 56% local, 34% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $2,057 per resident a year, or $5.64 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 44%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison for Central City yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Central City’s 2022 operating figures are mostly a Census estimate, so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2024; the next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Day-to-day spending is up 37% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Central 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: $1,599 · 2023: $1,859 · 2024: $2,057. Per resident it went from $1,599 to $2,057 (up 29%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,891 to 3,078.
full-time in March 2025, up from 59 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,287 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.38% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Central 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.
Tax bills are one input to Central City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Central City →
Who’s in charge in Central City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Central City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cc-ne.com/ccne ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 50 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (3,078).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Central City’s votes are counted by county
Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Central City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Merrick County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican81.8%3,551 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.8%730 votesOthers: 1.4% (61 votes).
Most votes in Merrick County: Donald J Trump
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Central City lies in Merrick County. Every 2024 race in Merrick County is on the county’s page.
Merrick 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 Central City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cc-ne.com/ccne ↗
- 2Nebraska SenateState senator
- 3GovernorStatewide
- 4U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 5U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Nebraska
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Central City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Central City’s government
How much does Central City spend per resident?
About $2,057 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Central City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,287 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.38% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cc-ne.com/ccne.
Who runs Central City’s government?
See cc-ne.com/ccne for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Central City yet.
How did Central City vote in 2024?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Central City alone. Merrick County, where 100% of Central City lies, voted Trump 81.8%, Harris 16.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Central City?
61 full-time and 40 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $390,859 (about $4.7M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Central City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 34 (Loren Lippincott). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Central 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 →