Photo: Wayne Blanchard (VtWayne at en.wikipedia) · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Bellows Falls run?
Bellows Falls’ village government spent $4.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,570 per resident. Water and other utilities ($632,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bellows Falls is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $1,570 per resident a year, or $4.30 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$720 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Bellows Falls’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($720 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 17 Vermont cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,097, and the middle half spent $444–$1,528. Bellows Falls spent less than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($786,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Vermont cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bellows Falls itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 107% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bellows Falls 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: $720 · 2023: $1,570. Per resident it went from $720 to $1,570 (up 118%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,967 to 2,814.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,448 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.27% of the home’s value, vs 1.59% across Vermont.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bellows Falls’ 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 Bellows Falls’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bellows Falls →
Who’s in charge in Bellows Falls
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bellows Falls’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on rockinghamvt.org ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 148 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (2,814).
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.
Bellows Falls UHSD 27
Bellows Falls’ high school district, shared with Athens, Grafton, Rockingham, Saxtons River, Westminster and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,730 per pupil, $9,942 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.
Vermont districts overall: 5% local, 89% state, 6% federal.
Rockingham School District · $14,029 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Bellows Falls’ votes are counted by county
Vermont reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Bellows Falls alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Windham County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat69.0%17,904 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican26.7%6,928 votesOthers: 4.2% (1,101 votes).
Most votes in Windham County: Kamala D Harris
Vermont: Harris 63.8%, Trump 32.3%
100% of Bellows Falls lies in Windham County. Every 2024 race in Windham County is on the county’s page.
Windham 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 Bellows Falls.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: rockinghamvt.org ↗
- 2Vermont HouseState representatives
- 3Vermont SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Vermont
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Bellows Falls compares with the towns next door
Bellows Falls spent $720 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,123. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Rockingham | $1,123 | $4,887 |
| Westminster | estimate | $4,063 |
| Bellows Falls | $720 | $4,448 |
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 Bellows Falls’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bellows Falls’ government
How much does Bellows Falls spend per resident?
About $1,570 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $720 was less than 59% of 17 Vermont cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bellows Falls?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,448 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.27% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.59% across Vermont. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see rockinghamvt.org.
Who runs Bellows Falls’ government?
See rockinghamvt.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bellows Falls yet.
How did Bellows Falls vote in 2024?
Vermont counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Bellows Falls alone. Windham County, where 100% of Bellows Falls lies, voted Harris 69.0%, Trump 26.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bellows Falls?
19 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $90,069 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Bellows Falls in the state legislature?
State Senate District Windham (Nader Hashim and Wendy Harrison) and State House District Windham-3 (Leslie Goldman and Michelle Bos-Lun). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bellows Falls’ 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 →