How is Merton Township run?
Merton Township’s town government spent $33,000 on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2022, about $600 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Merton Township didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Merton Township is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Clark School District 12-2
Merton Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Bradley, Clark, Darlington Township, Day Township, Eden Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,683 per pupil, $7,183 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.
Willow Lake School District 12-3 · $11,201 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $600 per resident a year, or $1.64 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 85%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Merton Township 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 Merton Township yet
Every year of Merton Township’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town 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 $1,636 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Merton Township’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 Merton Township’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Merton Township →
Who’s in charge in Merton Township
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Merton Township’s votes are counted by county
South Dakota reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Merton Township alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Clark County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican75.0%1,382 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat22.5%415 votesOthers: 2.4% (45 votes).
Most votes in Clark County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Merton Township lies in Clark County. Every 2024 race in Clark County is on the county’s page.
Clark 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 Merton Township.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal 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.
How Merton Township compares with the towns next door
Merton Township’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 3 of the 4 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $313 to $455 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Township | $313 | $1,786 |
| Foxton Township | $429 | $2,300 |
| Darlington Township | $455 | — |
| Day Township | estimate | $2,242 |
| Merton Township | estimate | $1,636 |
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 Merton Township’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Merton Township’s government
How much does Merton Township spend per resident?
About $600 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Merton Township didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $33,000.
Who runs Merton Township’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Merton Township yet.
How did Merton Township vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Merton Township alone. Clark County, where 100% of Merton Township lies, voted Trump 75.0%, Harris 22.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Merton Township?
0 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $405 (about $4,860 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Merton Township in the state legislature?
State Senate District 4 (Stephanie Sauder) and State House District 4 (Dylan Jordan and Kent Roe). The House district also covers 122 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Merton Township’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 Merton Township, 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 →