Merriman spent less per resident in 2022 than 68% of similar cities
Merriman’s village government spent $112,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $848 per resident. Water and other utilities ($32,000) and the airport ($2,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Merriman is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
$848 per resident in 2022: less than 68% of them
Merriman’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($848 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. Merriman spent less than 68% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($35,000), 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; Merriman itself left out).
About $848 per resident a year, or $2.32 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Merriman reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $325 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Merriman’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 Merriman’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Merriman →
Who’s in charge in Merriman
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Gordon-Rushville Public Schools
Merriman’s K–12 school district, shared with Clinton, Gordon, Rushville. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,287 per pupil, $12,174 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.
Merriman’s votes are counted by county
Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Merriman alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cherry County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican87.6%2,687 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat11.4%349 votesOthers: 1.1% (33 votes).
Most votes in Cherry County: Donald J Trump
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Merriman lies in Cherry County. Every 2024 race in Cherry County is on the county’s page.
Cherry 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 Merriman.
- 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 Merriman’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Merriman’s government
How much does Merriman spend per resident?
About $848 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $848 was less than 68% of 472 Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Merriman’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Merriman yet.
How did Merriman vote in 2024?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Merriman alone. Cherry County, where 100% of Merriman lies, voted Trump 87.6%, Harris 11.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Merriman?
0 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1,810 (about $21,720 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Merriman in the state legislature?
State Senate District 43 (Tanya Storer). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Merriman’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 →