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Aerial - Union Springs, NY on Cayuga Lake 01 - white balanced (9641417650)Photo: Joe Mabel (on Flickr as Joe Mabel from Seattle, US) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Aurora

How is Aurora run?

Aurora’s village government spent $465,000 on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2022, about $693 per resident. Water and other utilities ($97,000) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in New York.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$465,000
year to May 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$693
In 2022: $693, less than 58% of 301 similar cities
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of FY2022, reported
Village staff, 2022
6
full-time · 12 part-time · March payroll $26,852
Typical tax bill
$4,885
1.86% of home value · NY 1.55%

What stands out about how Aurora is run

Read from the village’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $693 per resident a year, or $1.90 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 29%.

Where the money comes from
From other local governments 36%Property taxes 22%Fees & charges 20%Utility sales 13%Interest, fines & other 6%Other taxes & licenses 2%Sales taxes 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $37,000; interest on debt $3,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $602,000.
About “Other”.25% of Aurora’s day-to-day spending ($118,000) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places

$693 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Aurora’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($693 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 $760, and the middle half spent $539–$1,141. Aurora spent less than 58% of them.

Middle half of the group, $539–$1,141Median $760Aurora

Includes sewer and trash ($129,000), 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; Aurora itself left out).

Over the years

No trend yet

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

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $4,885 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.86% 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
Aurora$4,885
$4,885
typical bill a year
1.86%
effective rate
$262,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Aurora

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

See auroranewyork.us for Aurora’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Aurora yet.auroranewyork.us ↗
Agendas

Aurora’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on auroranewyork.us ↗.

Who works for Aurora

One full-time village employee for every 112 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 (671).

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

Sewer & trash3 + 3 pt
Roads & transportation3
Administration & buildings0 + 3 pt
Other0 + 6 pt
6
full-time
12
part-time
$26,852
payroll for March 2022
$322,224
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$28,900
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Aurora had 8.9 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: Aurora had more than 84% 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

Southern Cayuga Central School District

Aurora’s K–12 school district, shared with Genoa, Scipio, Venice, Ledyard. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Aurora →
$27,516
per pupil · NY $34,607
667
students
$7.6 million
long-term debt

Of the $27,516 per pupil, $17,519 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 41%State 50%Federal 9%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Aurora’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Cayuga County’s results36,517 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican56.1%20,482 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat43.2%15,772 votes

Others: 0.7% (263 votes).

Most votes in Cayuga County: Donald J Trump

New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%

The county’s page

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

Cayuga 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 Aurora

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Aurora.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  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.

Reach Aurora’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Aurora’s government

How much does Aurora spend per resident?

About $693 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 $693 was less than 58% of 301 New York cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Aurora?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,885 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.86% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see auroranewyork.us.

Who runs Aurora’s government?

See auroranewyork.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Aurora yet.

How did Aurora vote in 2024?

New York counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Aurora alone. Cayuga County, where 100% of Aurora lies, voted Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.2% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Aurora?

6 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $26,852 (about $322,224 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Aurora in the state legislature?

State Senate District 48 (Rachel May) and Assembly District 131 (Jeff Gallahan). The Assembly district also covers 62 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Aurora’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 →