How is Mellette run?
Mellette’s city government spent $376,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,918 per resident. Water and other utilities ($81,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Mellette is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,918 per resident a year, or $5.25 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 43%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$585 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Mellette’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($585 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $770, and the middle half spent $370–$1,182. Mellette spent less than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($92,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Mellette itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 203% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Mellette reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $585 · 2023: $2,470 · 2024: $1,918. Per resident it went from $585 to $1,918 (up 228%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 212 to 196.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,911 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.95% 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 Mellette’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 Mellette’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Mellette →
Who’s in charge in Mellette
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Northwestern Area School District 56-7
Mellette’s K–12 school district, shared with Ashton, Brentford, Chelsea, Conde, Cresbard and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,471 per pupil, $7,228 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.
Mellette’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 Mellette alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Spink County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican68.3%2,145 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat29.3%921 votesOthers: 2.3% (73 votes).
Most votes in Spink County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Mellette lies in Spink County. Every 2024 race in Spink County is on the county’s page.
Spink 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 Mellette.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Mellette’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Mellette’s government
How much does Mellette spend per resident?
About $1,918 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $585 was less than 62% of 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Mellette?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,911 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.95% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Mellette’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Mellette yet.
How did Mellette vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mellette alone. Spink County, where 100% of Mellette lies, voted Trump 68.3%, Harris 29.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Mellette?
0 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $3,408 (about $40,896 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Mellette in the state legislature?
State Senate District 22 (Brandon Wipf) and State House District 22 (Kevin Van Diepen and Lana Greenfield). The House district also covers 96 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Mellette’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 →