How is Sinai run?
Sinai’s town government spent $79,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $823 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sinai is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $823 per resident a year, or $2.25 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 41%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$712 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Sinai’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($712 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. Sinai spent less than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($33,000), 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; Sinai itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sinai 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: $712 · 2023: $823. Per resident it went from $712 to $823 (up 16%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 125 to 96.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,222 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.37% 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 Sinai’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 Sinai’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sinai →
Who’s in charge in Sinai
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Sioux Valley School District 05-5
Sinai’s K–12 school district, shared with Bruce, Volga, Volga Township, Oakwood Township, Oslo Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,650 per pupil, $6,930 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.
Sinai’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 Sinai 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 Sinai 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 Sinai.
- 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.
Reach Sinai’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Sinai’s government
How much does Sinai spend per resident?
About $823 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $712 was less than 52% of 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sinai?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,222 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.37% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Sinai’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sinai yet.
How did Sinai vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Sinai alone. Brookings County, where 100% of Sinai lies, voted Trump 57.4%, Harris 40.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sinai?
0 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $3,088 (about $37,056 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Sinai in the state legislature?
State Senate District 8 (Casey Crabtree) and State House District 8 (Tim Reisch and Tim Walburg). The House district also covers 85 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sinai’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 →