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Vestal, NY Museum (128520751)Photo: Don O'Brien from Piketon, Ohio, United States · CC BY 2.0
Town Hall · Vestal

How is Vestal run?

Vestal’s town government spent $24.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $821 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.2 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$24.1M
year to December 31, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$821
In 2022: $788, more than 55% of 38 similar towns
Long-term debt
$2.3M
end of 2023, reported
Town staff, 2022
128
full-time · 22 part-time · March payroll $804,381
Typical tax bill
$4,907
2.54% of home value · NY 1.55%

What stands out about how Vestal is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2023 budget

About $821 per resident a year, or $2.25 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 18%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 35%From other local governments 27%Fees & charges 15%Utility sales 8%Interest, fines & other 5%From the federal government 4%Other taxes & licenses 3%From the state 2%Sales taxes 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $9.2 million; interest on debt $126,000; payments to other governments $6,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $35.6 million.
About “Other”.34% of Vestal’s day-to-day spending ($8.2 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

$788 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns

Vestal’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($788 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 38 New York towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $661, and the middle half spent $522–$1,003. Vestal spent more than 55% of them.

Middle half of the group, $522–$1,003Median $661Vestal

Includes sewer and trash ($4.1 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 →

The group
38

New York towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Vestal itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 6% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Vestal reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$22.7 million
2023$24.1 million

Per resident: 2022: $788 · 2023: $821.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $4,907 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.54% 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
Vestal$4,907
Binghamton$4,791
Owego$4,557
Endicott$4,267
Union$4,200
Endwell$4,030
Johnson City$3,982
Binghamton$3,622
$4,907
typical bill a year
2.54%
effective rate
$193,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Vestal

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

See vestalny.com for Vestal’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Vestal yet.vestalny.com ↗
Agendas

Vestal’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on vestalny.com ↗.

Who works for Vestal

One full-time town employee for every 229 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 (29,353).

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

Police44 + 6 pt
Roads & transportation30
Administration & buildings23 + 8 pt
Parks & libraries12 + 4 pt
Water & other utilities13 + 1 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections2 + 3 pt
Sewer & trash2
Fire2
128
full-time
22
part-time
$804,381
payroll for March 2022
$9.7M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$72,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
40
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Vestal had 4.4 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 26 of the 38 New York towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 3.3: Vestal had more than 73% 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

Vestal Central School District

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

Schools in Vestal →
$23,820
per pupil · NY $34,607
3,485
students
$20.6 million
long-term debt

Of the $23,820 per pupil, $15,964 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 55%State 40%Federal 5%

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

Also serving Vestal

Susquehanna Valley Central School District · $25,818 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

How Vestal voted in 2024

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

President13,846 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat56.2%7,788 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican42.6%5,904 votes

Others: 1.1% (154 votes).

Most votes in Vestal: Kamala D Harris

Broome County: Harris 49.9%, Trump 49.5% · New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%

Turnout
58%

of Vestal’s 23,990 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across New York: 59%.

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

U.S. Senate13,504 votes
Kirsten E GillibrandDemocrat58.7%
Michael D SapraiconeRepublican40.5%
Others0.8%

Most votes in Vestal: Kirsten E Gillibrand

Broome County: Gillibrand 53.5%, Sapraicone 45.9% · New York: Gillibrand 58.8%, Sapraicone 40.5%

U.S. House · New York’s 19th District377,127 votes
Josh RileyDemocrat51.1%
Marcus MolinaroRepublican48.9%
Others0.1%

Most votes in the district: Josh Riley

Whole-district result

President, 2024: Vestal, its county and the state

HarrisTrumpOthersVotes
Vestal56.2%42.6%1.1%13,846
Broome County49.9%49.5%0.6%90,459
New York55.9%43.3%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.

Who represents Vestal

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Vestal.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Officials: vestalny.com ↗
  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 Vestal compares with the towns next door

Vestal spent $788 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $369 to $2,498. 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
Union$369$4,200
Binghamton$594$4,791
Johnson City$1,471$3,982
Binghamton$2,498$3,622
Owegoestimate$4,557
Endicottestimate$4,267
Vestal$788$4,907

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 Vestal’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Vestal’s government

How much does Vestal spend per resident?

About $821 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $788 was more than 55% of 38 New York towns and townships of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Vestal?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,907 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.54% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see vestalny.com.

Who runs Vestal’s government?

See vestalny.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Vestal yet.

How did Vestal vote in 2024?

For president, Kamala D Harris 56.2%, Donald J Trump 42.6% (13,846 votes, official results). Broome County: Harris 49.9%, Trump 49.5%. New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%.

How many people work for Vestal?

128 full-time and 22 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $804,381 (about $9.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Vestal in the state legislature?

State Senate District 52 (Lea Webb) and Assembly District 123 (Donna Lupardo). The Assembly district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Vestal’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 →