Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0Menands spent more per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Menands’ village government spent $5.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2023, about $1,254 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Menands is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
$1,357 per resident in 2022: more than 76% of them
Menands’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,357 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 155 New York cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $968, and the middle half spent $744–$1,348. Menands spent more than 76% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($714,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
New York cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Menands itself left out).
About $1,254 per resident a year, or $3.44 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 9% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Menands reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,357 · 2023: $1,254. Per resident it went from $1,357 to $1,254 (down 8%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 3,832 to 4,508.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $5,866 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.16% 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 Menands’ 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 Menands’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Menands →
Who’s in charge in Menands
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Menands’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on villageofmenands.com ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 155 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (4,508).
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.
Menands Union Free School District
Menands’ elementary school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $31,148 per pupil, $18,633 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.
North Colonie Central School District · $21,609 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Menands’ votes are counted by county
New York reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Menands alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Albany County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat61.9%92,589 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican36.5%54,560 votesOthers: 1.7% (2,528 votes).
Most votes in Albany County: Kamala D Harris
New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%
100% of Menands lies in Albany County. Every 2024 race in Albany County is on the county’s page.
Albany County’s 2024 results →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 Menands.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: villageofmenands.com ↗
- 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 Menands compares with the towns next door
Menands spent $1,357 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| North Greenbush | $596 | $5,833 |
| Colonie | $1,204 | $4,590 |
| Albany | $1,898 | $5,091 |
| Menands | $1,357 | $5,866 |
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 Menands’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Menands’ government
How much does Menands spend per resident?
About $1,254 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,357 was more than 76% of 155 New York cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Menands?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,866 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.16% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see villageofmenands.com.
Who runs Menands’ government?
See villageofmenands.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Menands yet.
How did Menands vote in 2024?
New York counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Menands alone. Albany County, where 100% of Menands lies, voted Harris 61.9%, Trump 36.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Menands?
29 full-time and 24 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $207,595 (about $2.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Menands in the state legislature?
State Senate District 43 (Jake Ashby) and Assembly District 110 (Phil Steck). The Assembly district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Menands’ 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; 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 →