F.J. Kirchman House · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainHow is Wahoo run?
Wahoo’s city government spent $7.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,433 per resident.
What stands out about how Wahoo is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Wahoo Public Schools
Wahoo’s K–12 school district, shared with Malmo, Weston, Ithaca, Stocking Township, Chapman Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,809 per pupil, $9,653 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 $1,433 per resident a year, or $3.93 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,254 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Wahoo’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,254 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 32 Nebraska cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,409, and the middle half spent $1,096–$1,810. Wahoo spent less than 56% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Nebraska cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wahoo itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 23% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Wahoo 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: $1,254 · 2023: $1,463 · 2024: $1,433. Per resident it went from $1,254 to $1,433 (up 14%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 4,603 to 4,940.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 51 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 $3,338 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.37% 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 Wahoo’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 Wahoo’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wahoo →
Who’s in charge in Wahoo
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Wahoo’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on wahoo.ne.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 97 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 (4,940).
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.
Wahoo’s votes are counted by county
Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wahoo alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Saunders County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican72.6%9,854 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat26.2%3,558 votesOthers: 1.1% (153 votes).
Most votes in Saunders County: Donald J Trump
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Wahoo lies in Saunders County. Every 2024 race in Saunders County is on the county’s page.
Saunders 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 Wahoo.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: wahoo.ne.us ↗
- 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.
How Wahoo compares with the towns next door
Wahoo spent $1,254 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Center Township | $89 | $3,816 |
| Stocking Township | $540 | $4,526 |
| Wahoo | $1,254 | $3,338 |
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 Wahoo’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wahoo’s government
How much does Wahoo spend per resident?
About $1,433 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 $1,254 was less than 56% of 32 Nebraska cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wahoo?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,338 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.37% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see wahoo.ne.us.
Who runs Wahoo’s government?
See wahoo.ne.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wahoo yet.
How did Wahoo vote in 2024?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Wahoo alone. Saunders County, where 100% of Wahoo lies, voted Trump 72.6%, Harris 26.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wahoo?
51 full-time and 62 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $402,451 (about $4.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Wahoo in the state legislature?
State Senate District 23 (Jared Storm). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wahoo’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 →