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2015-10-30 10 09 36 View west along Main Street (Nevada State Route 427) in Fernley, NevadaPhoto: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Fernley

Fernley spent less per resident in 2022 than 95% of similar cities

Fernley’s city government spent $5.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $237 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.9 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Nevada.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$5.8M
year to June 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$237
In 2022: $530, less than 95% of 1205 similar cities
Long-term debt
$59.3M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
83
full-time · 2 part-time · March payroll $702,639
Typical tax bill
$1,964
0.54% of home value · NV 0.47%

What stands out about how Fernley is run

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

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends less than most similar citiesIn 2022: $530 per resident, less than 95% of 1205 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer46% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).A shared school districtShares Lyon County School District with 1 other town.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Fernley’s 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 $237 per resident a year, or $0.65 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 26%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 33%Fees & charges 17%Other taxes & licenses 15%Property taxes 13%From the federal government 12%Interest, fines & other 4%From other local governments 3%From the state 2%Sales taxes 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $2.5 million; interest on debt $2.7 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $13.9 million.
Compared with similar places

$530 per resident in 2022: less than 95% of them

Fernley’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($530 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 1205 U.S. cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,189, and the middle half spent $878–$1,547. Fernley spent less than 95% of them.

Middle half of the group, $878–$1,547Median $1,189Fernley

Includes sewer and trash ($1.7 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
1205

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

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is down 50% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$11.6 million
2024$5.8 million

Per resident: 2022: $530 · 2024: $237.

City staff
83

full-time in March 2025, up from 78 in 2022.

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 $1,964 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.54% of the home’s value, vs 0.47% across Nevada.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Nevada$2,027
Fernley$1,964
$1,964
typical bill a year
0.54%
effective rate
$366,700
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Fernley

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

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

One full-time city employee for every 292 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (24,261).

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

Administration & buildings28 + 1 pt
Water & other utilities12
Courts, inspections & corrections9
Roads & transportation5
Sewer & trash5
Parks & libraries4
Health & welfare3
Other17 + 1 pt
83
full-time
2
part-time
$702,639
payroll for March 2025
$8.4M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$100,800
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Fernley had 3.6 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 961 of the 1205 U.S. cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 7.0: Fernley had fewer than 88% 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

Lyon County School District

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

Schools in Fernley →
$15,090
per pupil · NV $14,868
9,057
students
$100 million
long-term debt

Of the $15,090 per pupil, $7,961 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 12%State 78%Federal 10%

Nevada districts overall: 16% local, 70% state, 14% federal.

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Fernley’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Lyon County’s results33,541 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican71.1%23,861 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat26.7%8,954 votes

Others: 2.2% (726 votes).

Most votes in Lyon County: Donald J Trump

Nevada: Trump 50.6%, Harris 47.5%

The county’s page

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

Lyon 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 Fernley

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Fernley.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityoffernley.org ↗
  2. 2
    Nevada AssemblyState representatives
    Gregory Koenig
  3. 3
    Nevada SenateState senator
    Robin Titus
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Joe Lombardo
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Mark E. Amodei
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Nevada
    Catherine Cortez MastoJacky Rosen

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

Next door

How Fernley compares with the towns next door

Fernley spent $530 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Wadsworth: unincorporated, no town budgetWadsworthFernley
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Fernley$530$1,964

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 Fernley’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websitecityoffernley.org ↗

Questions about Fernley’s government

How much does Fernley spend per resident?

About $237 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $530 was less than 95% of 1205 U.S. cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Fernley?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,964 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.54% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.47% across Nevada. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityoffernley.org.

Who runs Fernley’s government?

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

How did Fernley vote in 2024?

Nevada counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fernley alone. Lyon County, where 100% of Fernley lies, voted Trump 71.1%, Harris 26.7% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Fernley?

83 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $702,639 (about $8.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Fernley in the state legislature?

State Senate District 17 (Robin Titus) and Assembly District 38 (Gregory Koenig). The Assembly district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Fernley?

The next posted meeting is City Council on Wednesday, November 4, at 5:00 pm, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Fernley’s 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 →