William Smith Ingham House · Photo: Doncram · CC BY-SA 4.0In Cato, 62% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across New York
Cato’s town government spent $1.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $544 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Cato didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Cato is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Cato-Meridian Central School District
Cato’s K–12 school district, shared with Cato, Ira, Meridian, Conquest, Victory. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,310 per pupil, $14,707 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.
New York districts overall: 51% local, 41% state, 8% federal.
Weedsport Central School District · $25,389 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $544 per resident a year, or $1.49 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Cato didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Cato yet
Every year of Cato’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $3,005 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.79% of the home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Cato’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 Cato’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cato →
Who’s in charge in Cato
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Cato’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on cayugacounty.gov/414/Cato-Town ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 345 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 (2,416).
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.
How Cato voted in 2024
Official results for Cato’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.0%893 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.4%394 votesOthers: 0.6% (8 votes).
Most votes in Cato: Donald J Trump
Cayuga County: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.2% · New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%
of Cato’s 2,090 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across New York: 59%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Cato: Michael D Sapraicone
Cayuga County: Sapraicone 53.4%, Gillibrand 46.1% · New York: Gillibrand 58.8%, Sapraicone 40.5%
Most votes in the district: Claudia Tenney
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Cato, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cato | 69.0% | 30.4% | 0.6% | 1,295 |
| Cayuga County | 56.1% | 43.2% | 0.7% | 36,517 |
| New York | 43.3% | 55.9% | 0.8% | 8,262,600 |
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 Cato.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: cayugacounty.gov/414/Cato-Town ↗
- 2New York AssemblyState representatives
- 3New York SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New York
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Cato compares with the towns next door
Cato’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 4 of the 5 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $239 to $444 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
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 Cato’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Cato’s government
How much does Cato spend per resident?
About $544 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Cato didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1.4 million.
What is the property tax rate in Cato?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,005 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.79% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cayugacounty.gov/414/Cato-Town.
Who runs Cato’s government?
See cayugacounty.gov/414/Cato-Town for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cato yet.
How did Cato vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 69.0%, Kamala D Harris 30.4% (1,295 votes, official results). Cayuga County: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.2%. New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%.
How many people work for Cato?
7 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $27,010 (about $324,120 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Cato in the state legislature?
State Senate District 48 (Rachel May) and Assembly District 126 (John Lemondes). The Assembly district also covers 30 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cato’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 (for Cato, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →