Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0How is Dresden run?
Dresden’s town government spent $1.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $514 per resident. Water and other utilities ($478,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Dresden is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $514 per resident a year, or $1.41 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$514 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Dresden’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($514 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 43 Tennessee cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $757, and the middle half spent $418–$1,168. Dresden spent less than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($283,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Tennessee cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dresden itself left out).
No trend yet
Dresden reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $798 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.63% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Dresden’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.
Tax bills are one input to Dresden’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Dresden →
Who’s in charge in Dresden
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 116 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,907).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Weakley County School District
Dresden’s K–12 school district, shared with Gleason, Greenfield, Martin, Sharon. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,657 per pupil, $7,914 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.
Tennessee districts overall: 40% local, 44% state, 16% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Dresden’s votes are counted by county
Tennessee reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Dresden alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Weakley County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican78.7%10,541 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat20.3%2,725 votesOthers: 1.0% (128 votes).
Most votes in Weakley County: Donald J Trump
Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%
100% of Dresden lies in Weakley County. Every 2024 race in Weakley County is on the county’s page.
Weakley 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 Dresden.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Tennessee HouseState representatives
- 3Tennessee SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Tennessee
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Dresden’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Dresden’s government
How much does Dresden spend per resident?
About $514 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $514 was less than 63% of 43 Tennessee cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Dresden?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $798 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.63% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Dresden’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dresden yet.
How did Dresden vote in 2024?
Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Dresden alone. Weakley County, where 100% of Dresden lies, voted Trump 78.7%, Harris 20.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Dresden?
25 full-time and 27 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $95,161 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Dresden in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (John Stevens) and State House District 76 (Tandy Darby). The House district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Dresden’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 →