Elkhorn River Bridge · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainHow is Clearwater run?
Clearwater’s village government spent $501,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, about $1,566 per resident. Water and other utilities ($65,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Clearwater is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $1,566 per resident a year, or $4.29 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,256 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Clearwater’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,256 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 472 Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,038, and the middle half spent $774–$1,452. Clearwater spent more than 65% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($110,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Clearwater itself left out).
Day-to-day spending has held about steady since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Clearwater 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: $1,256 · 2023: $1,566. Per resident it went from $1,256 to $1,566 (up 25%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 398 to 320.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $877 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.00% 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 Clearwater’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 Clearwater’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Clearwater →
Who’s in charge in Clearwater
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 320 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (320).
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.
Summerland Public Schools
Clearwater’s K–12 school district, shared with Ewing, Orchard, Royal, Deloit Township, Ewing Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,009 per pupil, $10,936 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.
Clearwater’s votes are counted by county
Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Clearwater alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Antelope County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican88.0%3,032 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat11.5%396 votesOthers: 0.6% (19 votes).
Most votes in Antelope County: Donald J Trump
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Clearwater lies in Antelope County. Every 2024 race in Antelope County is on the county’s page.
Antelope 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 Clearwater.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Clearwater’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Clearwater’s government
How much does Clearwater spend per resident?
About $1,566 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,256 was more than 65% of 472 Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Clearwater?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $877 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.00% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.
Who runs Clearwater’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Clearwater yet.
How did Clearwater vote in 2024?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Clearwater alone. Antelope County, where 100% of Clearwater lies, voted Trump 88.0%, Harris 11.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Clearwater?
1 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $7,299 (about $87,588 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Clearwater in the state legislature?
State Senate District 40 (Barry DeKay). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Clearwater’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 →