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Hastings Municipal Airport Hangar-Building No. 1Hastings Municipal Airport Hangar-Building No. 1 · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
Town Hall · Hastings

How is Hastings run?

Hastings’ city government spent $42.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,720 per resident. Water and other utilities ($71.3 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Next public meeting

City Council

6:00 pm

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$42.9M
year to September 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,720
In 2022: $1,471, more than 59% of 44 similar cities
Long-term debt
$11.2M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
413
full-time · 74 part-time · March payroll $4.0M · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$2,846
1.54% of home value · NE 1.49%

What stands out about how Hastings is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer67% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).Its own police and fire47 sworn officers and 32 full-time firefighters on the payroll.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Hastings’ own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,720 per resident a year, or $4.71 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 14%.

Where the money comes from
Interest, fines & other 36%Sales taxes 23%Property taxes 13%From the state 11%Fees & charges 8%Other taxes & licenses 3%From other local governments 2%Utility sales 2%From the federal government 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $29.1 million; interest on debt $294,000; payments to other governments $842,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $145.1 million.
About “Other”.33% of Hastings’ day-to-day spending ($14.2 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places

$1,471 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Hastings’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,471 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 44 Nebraska cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,393, and the middle half spent $1,120–$1,738. Hastings spent more than 59% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,120–$1,738Median $1,393Hastings

Includes sewer and trash ($4.9 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
44

Nebraska cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Hastings itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Hastings reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$36.4 million
2023$39.5 million
2024$42.9 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,471 · 2023: $1,578 · 2024: $1,720.

City staff
413

full-time in March 2025, up from 385 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.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $2,846 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.54% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Nebraska$3,549
Hastings$2,846
$2,846
typical bill a year
1.54%
effective rate
$184,700
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Hastings’ 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 Hastings’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hastings →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Hastings

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See cityofhastings.org for Hastings’ current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Hastings yet.cityofhastings.org ↗
Who works for Hastings

One full-time city employee for every 60 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 (24,927).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Water & other utilities134
Police63 + 7 pt
Parks & libraries45 + 42 pt
Fire34 + 4 pt
Roads & transportation28
Administration & buildings20 + 14 pt
Sewer & trash22 + 7 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections2
Other65
413
full-time
74
part-time
$4.0M
payroll for March 2025
$48.4M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$112,700
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
47
sworn police officers
32
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Hastings had 15.6 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 30 of the 44 Nebraska cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 8.8: Hastings had more than 97% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Hastings Public Schools

Hastings’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Hastings →
$13,763
per pupil · NE $15,602
3,740
students
$38.2 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,763 per pupil, $8,857 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 40%State 51%Federal 9%

Nebraska districts overall: 56% local, 34% state, 10% federal.

Also serving Hastings

Adams Central Public Schools · $16,223 per pupil

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Hastings’ votes are counted by county

Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hastings alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Adams County’s results.

President · Adams County’s results14,364 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican70.2%10,077 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat28.5%4,100 votes

Others: 1.3% (187 votes).

Most votes in Adams County: Donald J Trump

Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%

The county’s page

100% of Hastings lies in Adams County. Every 2024 race in Adams County is on the county’s page.

Adams County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Hastings

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Hastings.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityofhastings.org ↗
  2. 2
    Nebraska SenateState senator
    Dan Lonowski
  3. 3
    GovernorStatewide
    Jim Pillen
  4. 4
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Adrian Smith
  5. 5
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Nebraska
    Deb FischerPete Ricketts

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Hastings’ government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitecityofhastings.org ↗

Questions about Hastings’ government

How much does Hastings spend per resident?

About $1,720 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,471 was more than 59% of 44 Nebraska cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Hastings?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,846 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.54% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofhastings.org.

Who runs Hastings’ government?

See cityofhastings.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hastings yet.

How did Hastings vote in 2024?

Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hastings alone. Adams County, where 100% of Hastings lies, voted Trump 70.2%, Harris 28.5% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Hastings?

413 full-time and 74 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.0M (about $48.4M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Hastings in the state legislature?

State Senate District 33 (Dan Lonowski). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Hastings?

The next posted meeting is City Council on Monday, November 9, at 6:00 pm, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Hastings’ government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →