Photo: Tony Webster · CC BY 2.0How is Highmore run?
Highmore’s city government spent $1.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,836 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Highmore didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Highmore is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,836 per resident a year, or $5.03 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Highmore didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Highmore yet
Every year of Highmore’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. 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 $1,986 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.31% 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 Highmore’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 Highmore’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Highmore →
Who’s in charge in Highmore
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Highmore’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on highmoresd.govoffice3.com ↗.
Highmore-Harrold School District 34-2
Highmore’s K–12 school district, shared with Harrold, Valley Township, William Hamilton Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,713 per pupil, $7,902 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.
Highmore’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 Highmore alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Hyde County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican76.3%530 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat21.3%148 votesOthers: 2.4% (17 votes).
Most votes in Hyde County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Highmore lies in Hyde County. Every 2024 race in Hyde County is on the county’s page.
Hyde 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 Highmore.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: highmoresd.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.
Reach Highmore’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Highmore’s government
How much does Highmore spend per resident?
About $1,836 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Highmore 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 Highmore?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,986 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.31% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see highmoresd.govoffice3.com.
Who runs Highmore’s government?
See highmoresd.govoffice3.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Highmore yet.
How did Highmore vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Highmore alone. Hyde County, where 100% of Highmore lies, voted Trump 76.3%, Harris 21.3% for president; its page has every race.
Who represents Highmore in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (Jim Mehlhaff) and State House District 24 (Mike Weisgram and Will Mortenson). The House district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Highmore’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 Highmore, 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 →