Old Southeast Church · Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Southeast run?
Southeast’s town government spent $12 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $663 per resident. Water and other utilities ($759,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Southeast is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $663 per resident a year, or $1.82 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$663 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Southeast’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($663 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 83 New York towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $543, and the middle half spent $373–$826. Southeast spent more than 64% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3 million), 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 towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Southeast itself left out).
No trend yet
Southeast reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $9,493 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.12% 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 Southeast’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 Southeast’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Southeast →
Who’s in charge in Southeast
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 384 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 (18,046).
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.
Brewster Central School District
Southeast’s K–12 school district, shared with Brewster, Patterson. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $36,428 per pupil, $22,741 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 Salem Central School District · $46,975 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Southeast’s votes are counted by county
New York reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Southeast alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Putnam County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican56.3%31,553 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat42.8%23,956 votesOthers: 0.9% (505 votes).
Most votes in Putnam County: Donald J Trump
New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%
100% of Southeast lies in Putnam County. Every 2024 race in Putnam County is on the county’s page.
Putnam 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 Southeast.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Southeast compares with the towns next door
Southeast spent $663 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $868 to $1,611. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Patterson | $868 | $9,603 |
| Carmel | $1,069 | $10,000+ |
| North Salem | $1,611 | $10,000+ |
| Southeast | $663 | $9,493 |
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 Southeast’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Southeast’s government
How much does Southeast spend per resident?
About $663 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 $663 was more than 64% of 83 New York towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Southeast?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $9,493 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.12% 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 Southeast’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Southeast yet.
How did Southeast vote in 2024?
New York counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Southeast alone. Putnam County, where 100% of Southeast lies, voted Trump 56.3%, Harris 42.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Southeast?
47 full-time and 36 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $336,764 (about $4.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Southeast in the state legislature?
State Senate District 40 (Pete Harckham) and Assembly District 94 (Matt Slater). The Assembly district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Southeast’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; 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 →