Calumet Hotel · Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Wasta run?
Wasta’s town government spent $72,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $878 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Wasta didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Wasta is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $878 per resident a year, or $2.41 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Wasta 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 Wasta yet
Every year of Wasta’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 $1,341 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.23% 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 Wasta’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 Wasta’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wasta →
Who’s in charge in Wasta
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Wall School District 51-5
Wasta’s K–12 school district, shared with Ash Township, Castle Butte Township, Cedar Butte Township, Conata Township, Fairview Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,625 per pupil, $7,913 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.
Wasta’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 Wasta alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Pennington County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.9%35,009 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.4%20,051 votesOthers: 2.7% (1,520 votes).
Most votes in Pennington County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Wasta lies in Pennington County. Every 2024 race in Pennington County is on the county’s page.
Pennington 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 Wasta.
- 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 Wasta’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Wasta’s government
How much does Wasta spend per resident?
About $878 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Wasta didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $85,000.
What is the property tax rate in Wasta?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,341 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.23% 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 Wasta’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wasta yet.
How did Wasta vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Wasta alone. Pennington County, where 100% of Wasta lies, voted Trump 61.9%, Harris 35.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wasta?
0 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1,700 (about $20,400 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Wasta in the state legislature?
State Senate District 27 (Red Dawn Foster) and State House District 27 (Liz May and Peri Pourier). The House district also covers 35 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wasta’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 Wasta, 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 →