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Athens Lower Village Historic District-Public Library May 11Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Town Hall · Athens

How is Athens run?

Athens’ village government spent $1.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2022, about $809 per resident. Water and other utilities ($191,000) are counted separately.

Election Day

Today

General election in New York.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$1.3M
year to May 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$809
In 2022: $809, more than 55% of 301 similar cities
Long-term debt
$5.3M
end of FY2022, reported
Village staff, 2022
6
full-time · 23 part-time · March payroll $27,969
Typical tax bill
$5,509
1.69% of home value · NY 1.55%

What stands out about how Athens is run

Read from the village’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $809 per resident a year, or $2.22 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 28%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 52%Fees & charges 16%Utility sales 15%Interest, fines & other 9%From other local governments 4%Other taxes & licenses 2%Sales taxes <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $136,000; interest on debt $227,000; payments to other governments $30,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $1.9 million.
About “Other”.27% of Athens’ day-to-day spending ($342,000) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places

$809 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Athens’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($809 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 301 New York cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $757, and the middle half spent $539–$1,141. Athens spent more than 55% of them.

Middle half of the group, $539–$1,141Median $757Athens

Includes sewer and trash ($170,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
301

New York cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Athens itself left out).

Over the years

No trend yet

Athens reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $5,509 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.69% of the home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

New York$6,582
Hudson$5,877
Athens$5,509
Greenport$4,879
Sleepy Hollow Lake$4,543
$5,509
typical bill a year
1.69%
effective rate
$325,600
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Athens

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

Check Athens’ own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Athens yet.
Who works for Athens

One full-time village employee for every 266 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 (1,594).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Police0 + 15 pt
Administration & buildings2 + 5 pt
Roads & transportation4
Parks & libraries0 + 2 pt
Other0 + 1 pt
6
full-time
23
part-time
$27,969
payroll for March 2022
$335,628
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$44,500
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Athens had 3.8 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 243 of the 301 New York cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 4.1: Athens had fewer than 55% 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

Coxsackie-Athens Central School District

Athens’ K–12 school district, shared with Coxsackie, Coxsackie, Athens, New Baltimore. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Athens →
$30,047
per pupil · NY $34,607
1,141
students
$14.8 million
long-term debt

Of the $30,047 per pupil, $18,209 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 54%State 38%Federal 8%

New York districts overall: 51% local, 41% state, 8% federal.

Also serving Athens

Catskill Central School District · $32,870 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Athens’ votes are counted by county

New York reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Athens alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Greene County’s results.

President · Greene County’s results25,440 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican57.8%14,702 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat41.0%10,436 votes

Others: 1.2% (302 votes).

Most votes in Greene County: Donald J Trump

New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%

The county’s page

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

Greene 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 Athens

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Athens.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    New York AssemblyState representatives
  3. 3
    New York SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New York

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

Next door

How Athens compares with the towns next door

Athens spent $809 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $903 to $1,957. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Greenport$903$4,879
Hudson$1,957$5,877
Athens$809$5,509

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 Athens’ government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Athens’ government

How much does Athens spend per resident?

About $809 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $809 was more than 55% of 301 New York cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Athens?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,509 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.69% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.

Who runs Athens’ government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Athens yet.

How did Athens vote in 2024?

New York counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Athens alone. Greene County, where 100% of Athens lies, voted Trump 57.8%, Harris 41.0% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Athens?

6 full-time and 23 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $27,969 (about $335,628 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Athens in the state legislature?

State Senate District 41 (Michelle Hinchey) and Assembly District 102 (Chris Tague). The Assembly district also covers 74 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Athens’ 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 →