Saline County Bank · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0How is Western run?
Western’s village government spent $273,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $1,197 per resident. Water and other utilities ($54,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Western is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $1,197 per resident a year, or $3.28 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 47%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,197 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Western’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,197 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. Western spent more than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($128,000), 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; Western itself left out).
No trend yet
Western reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $900 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.29% 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 Western’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 Western’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Western →
Who’s in charge in Western
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 228 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (228).
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.
Tri County Public Schools
Western’s K–12 school district, shared with De Witt, Plymouth, Swanton, Blakely Township, Grant Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,669 per pupil, $10,676 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.
Meridian Public Schools · $20,995 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Western’s votes are counted by county
Nebraska reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Western alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Saline County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.0%3,734 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.8%1,855 votesOthers: 1.2% (66 votes).
Most votes in Saline County: Donald J Trump
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Western lies in Saline County. Every 2024 race in Saline County is on the county’s page.
Saline 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 Western.
- 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 Western’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Western’s government
How much does Western spend per resident?
About $1,197 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,197 was more than 62% of 472 Nebraska cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Western?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $900 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.29% 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 Western’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Western yet.
How did Western vote in 2024?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Western alone. Saline County, where 100% of Western lies, voted Trump 66.0%, Harris 32.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Western?
1 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $2,752 (about $33,024 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Western in the state legislature?
State Senate District 32 (Tom Brandt). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Western’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 →