Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Polk run?
Polk’s borough government spent $447,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $582 per resident.
What stands out about how Polk is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
Franklin Area School District
Polk’s K–12 school district, shared with Barkeyville, Canal Township, Clinton Township, Clintonville, Franklin and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,043 per pupil, $11,861 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.
Pennsylvania districts overall: 55% local, 37% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $582 per resident a year, or $1.59 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$582 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Polk’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($582 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 574 Pennsylvania cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $483, and the middle half spent $300–$726. Polk spent more than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($64,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Pennsylvania cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Polk itself left out).
No trend yet
Polk reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,182 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.17% of the home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Polk’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 Polk’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Polk →
Who’s in charge in Polk
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time borough 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 (768).
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.
Polk’s votes are counted by county
Pennsylvania reports official results by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Polk alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Venango County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican70.6%18,883 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.5%7,624 votesOthers: 0.8% (225 votes).
Most votes in Venango County: Donald J Trump
Pennsylvania: Trump 50.4%, Harris 48.7%
100% of Polk lies in Venango County. Every 2024 race in Venango County is on the county’s page.
Venango 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 Polk.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Pennsylvania HouseState representatives
- 3Pennsylvania SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Pennsylvania
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Polk compares with the towns next door
Polk spent $582 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sandycreek Township | $405 | $2,310 |
| Victory Township | $424 | $1,671 |
| Frenchcreek Township | $558 | $1,773 |
| Polk | $582 | $1,182 |
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 Polk’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Polk’s government
How much does Polk spend per resident?
About $582 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 $582 was more than 62% of 574 Pennsylvania cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Polk?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,182 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.17% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.30% across Pennsylvania. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the borough’s assessor.
Who runs Polk’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Polk yet.
How did Polk vote in 2024?
Pennsylvania counts votes by county and precinct, not by borough, so there are no official results for Polk alone. Venango County, where 100% of Polk lies, voted Trump 70.6%, Harris 28.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Polk?
2 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $10,961 (about $131,532 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Polk in the state legislature?
State Senate District 21 (Scott Hutchinson) and State House District 64 (Lee James). The House district also covers 37 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Polk’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 →