How is Aurora run?
Aurora’s city government spent $521,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $486 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Aurora didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Aurora is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $486 per resident a year, or $1.33 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 40%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Aurora didn’t report all of its 2023 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Aurora yet
Every year of Aurora’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2023. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $2,951 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.26% of the home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Aurora’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 Aurora’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Aurora →
Who’s in charge in Aurora
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Aurora’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on aurorasd.govoffice3.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 536 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,071).
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.
Brookings School District 05-1
Aurora’s K–12 school district, shared with Aurora Township, Bushnell, Brookings, Medary Township, Trenton Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,882 per pupil, $7,730 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.
South Dakota districts overall: 50% local, 31% state, 19% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Aurora’s votes are counted by county
South Dakota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Aurora alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Brookings County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican57.4%8,575 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat40.0%5,978 votesOthers: 2.6% (386 votes).
Most votes in Brookings County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Aurora lies in Brookings County. Every 2024 race in Brookings County is on the county’s page.
Brookings 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 Aurora.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: aurorasd.govoffice3.com ↗
- 2South Dakota HouseState representatives
- 3South Dakota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of South Dakota
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Aurora compares with the towns next door
Aurora’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 1 of the 2 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $114 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora Township | $114 | $3,773 |
| Trenton Township | estimate | $5,515 |
| Aurora | estimate | $2,951 |
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 Aurora’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Aurora’s government
How much does Aurora spend per resident?
About $486 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, a Census Bureau estimate (Aurora didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1.6 million.
What is the property tax rate in Aurora?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,951 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.26% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see aurorasd.govoffice3.com.
Who runs Aurora’s government?
See aurorasd.govoffice3.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Aurora yet.
How did Aurora vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Aurora alone. Brookings County, where 100% of Aurora lies, voted Trump 57.4%, Harris 40.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Aurora?
2 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $7,927 (about $95,124 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Aurora in the state legislature?
State Senate District 7 (Tim Reed) and State House District 7 (Mellissa Heermann and Roger DeGroot). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Aurora’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 (for Aurora, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →