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Downtown Dover Plains, NYPhoto: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Dover

How is Dover run?

Dover’s town government spent $4.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $508 per resident.

Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in New York.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$4.2M
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$508
In 2022: $508, more than 58% of 321 similar towns
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of 2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
19
full-time · 27 part-time · March payroll $108,804
Typical tax bill
$6,057
1.84% of home value · NY 1.55%

What stands out about how Dover is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Elections · 2024 general election

How Dover voted in 2024

Official results for Dover’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.

President3,750 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican60.7%2,278 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat38.5%1,445 votes

Others: 0.7% (27 votes).

Most votes in Dover: Donald J Trump

Dutchess County: Harris 52.1%, Trump 46.8% · New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%

Turnout
56%

of Dover’s 6,660 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across New York: 59%.

Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).

U.S. Senate3,639 votes
Michael D SapraiconeRepublican57.5%
Kirsten E GillibrandDemocrat42.1%
Others0.4%

Most votes in Dover: Michael D Sapraicone

Dutchess County: Gillibrand 55.5%, Sapraicone 44.0% · New York: Gillibrand 58.8%, Sapraicone 40.5%

U.S. House · New York’s 18th District362,509 votes
Pat RyanDemocrat57.1%
Alison EspositoRepublican42.8%
Others0.1%

Most votes in the district: Pat Ryan

Whole-district result

President, 2024: Dover, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Dover60.7%38.5%0.7%3,750
Dutchess County46.8%52.1%1.1%153,412
New York43.3%55.9%0.8%8,262,600
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.

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $508 per resident a year, or $1.39 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 25%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 50%From other local governments 19%Interest, fines & other 13%Other taxes & licenses 8%From the state 5%Fees & charges 3%Sales taxes 3%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $304,000; interest on debt $23,000. With these, the whole budget was $4.5 million.
About “Other”.25% of Dover’s day-to-day spending ($1.1 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places

$508 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns

Dover’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($508 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 321 New York towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $458, and the middle half spent $340–$617. Dover spent more than 58% of them.

Middle half of the group, $340–$617Median $458Dover

Includes sewer and trash ($3,000), 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
321

New York towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dover itself left out).

Over the years

No trend yet

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

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $6,057 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.84% of the home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Pawling$10,000+
Union Vale$9,469
Beekman$8,686
New York$6,582
Sherman$6,110
Dover$6,057
Kent$4,520
Amenia$3,620
$6,057
typical bill a year
1.84%
effective rate
$330,000
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Dover

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

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

One full-time town employee for every 437 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 (8,301).

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

Administration & buildings10 + 11 pt
Roads & transportation7 + 1 pt
Parks & libraries2 + 5 pt
Police0 + 5 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 2 pt
Other0 + 3 pt
19
full-time
27
part-time
$108,804
payroll for March 2022
$1.3M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$52,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Dover had 2.3 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 250 of the 321 New York towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 2.2: Dover had more than 52% 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

Dover Union Free School District

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

Schools in Dover →
$30,721
per pupil · NY $34,607
1,328
students
$3.2 million
long-term debt

Of the $30,721 per pupil, $18,800 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 45%State 48%Federal 7%

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

Also serving Dover

Pawling Central School District · $35,962 per pupil

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

Who represents Dover

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Dover.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    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 Dover compares with the towns next door

Dover spent $508 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $271 to $681. 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
Beekman$271$8,686
Amenia$608$3,620
Pawling$652$10,000+
Union Vale$681$9,469
Dover$508$6,057

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 Dover’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Dover’s government

How much does Dover spend per resident?

About $508 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $508 was more than 58% of 321 New York towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Dover?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,057 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.84% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.

Who runs Dover’s government?

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

How did Dover vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 60.7%, Kamala D Harris 38.5% (3,750 votes, official results). Dutchess County: Harris 52.1%, Trump 46.8%. New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%.

How many people work for Dover?

19 full-time and 27 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $108,804 (about $1.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Dover in the state legislature?

State Senate District 41 (Michelle Hinchey) and Assembly District 105 (Anil Beephan). The Assembly district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Dover’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 →