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Beaver Dam, Wisconsin DowntownPhoto: Downspec · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Beaver Dam

Beaver Dam spent more per resident in 2022 than 71% of similar cities

Beaver Dam’s city government spent $24 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,446 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.1 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Wisconsin.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$24.0M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,446
In 2022: $1,332, more than 71% of 59 similar cities
Long-term debt
$52.5M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2022
111
full-time · 34 part-time · March payroll $671,317
Typical tax bill
$3,536
1.75% of home value · WI 1.42%

What stands out about how Beaver Dam is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends more than most similar citiesIn 2022: $1,332 per resident, more than 71% of 59 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer37% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).A shared school districtShares Beaver Dam School District with 4 other towns.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Beaver Dam’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,446 per resident a year, or $3.96 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 27%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 35%Fees & charges 26%From the state 14%Interest, fines & other 8%Utility sales 8%From the federal government 5%From other local governments 4%Other taxes & licenses 1%Sales taxes 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $5.9 million; interest on debt $1.6 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $35.5 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,332 per resident in 2022: more than 71% of them

Beaver Dam’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,332 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,152, and the middle half spent $949–$1,409. Beaver Dam spent more than 71% of them.

Middle half of the group, $949–$1,409Median $1,152Beaver Dam

Includes sewer and trash ($5.6 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
59

Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Beaver Dam itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 10% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Beaver Dam reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$21.7 million
2024$24 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,332 · 2024: $1,446.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,536 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.75% of the home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Wisconsin$3,792
Beaver Dam$3,536
Westford$3,488
Trenton$3,257
$3,536
typical bill a year
1.75%
effective rate
$201,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Beaver Dam’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 Beaver Dam’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Beaver Dam →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Beaver Dam

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See cityofbeaverdam.com for Beaver Dam’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Beaver Dam yet.cityofbeaverdam.com ↗
Who works for Beaver Dam

One full-time city employee for every 149 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (16,582).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Police37 + 19 pt
Fire25 + 1 pt
Parks & libraries14 + 13 pt
Roads & transportation14
Sewer & trash7
Water & other utilities7
Administration & buildings6
Courts, inspections & corrections1 + 1 pt
111
full-time
34
part-time
$671,317
payroll for March 2022
$8.1M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$70,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
33
sworn police officers
24
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Beaver Dam had 6.8 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 49 of the 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 6.1: Beaver Dam had more than 76% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Beaver Dam School District

Beaver Dam’s K–12 school district, shared with Beaver Dam, Calamus, Westford, Trenton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Beaver Dam →
$15,130
per pupil · WI $16,459
3,061
students
$38 million
long-term debt

Of the $15,130 per pupil, $8,791 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 31%State 58%Federal 10%

Wisconsin districts overall: 39% local, 50% state, 11% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

How Beaver Dam voted in 2024

Official results for Beaver Dam’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.

President8,417 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican50.2%4,227 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat48.2%4,058 votes

Others: 1.6% (132 votes).

Most votes in Beaver Dam: Donald J Trump

Dodge County: Trump 65.7%, Harris 32.8% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%

Turnout
66%

of Beaver Dam’s 12,848 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.

Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).

U.S. Senate8,345 votes
Tammy BaldwinDemocrat49.0%
Eric HovdeRepublican48.2%
Others2.8%

Most votes in Beaver Dam: Tammy Baldwin

Dodge County: Hovde 64.0%, Baldwin 33.7% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%

U.S. House · Wisconsin’s 6th District411,349 votes
Glenn GrothmanRepublican61.2%
John ZarbanoDemocrat38.7%
Others0.1%

Most votes in the district: Glenn Grothman

Whole-district result

President, 2024: Beaver Dam, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Beaver Dam50.2%48.2%1.6%8,417
Dodge County65.7%32.8%1.4%50,300
Wisconsin49.6%48.7%1.7%3,422,918
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Beaver Dam

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Beaver Dam.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityofbeaverdam.com ↗
  2. 2
    Wisconsin AssemblyState representatives
    Mark Born
  3. 3
    Wisconsin SenateState senator
    John Jagler
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Tony Evers
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Glenn Grothman
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Wisconsin
    Ron JohnsonTammy Baldwin

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Beaver Dam compares with the towns next door

Beaver Dam spent $1,332 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.

Trenton: $300 per resident (2022)Westford: $229 per resident (2022)TrentonWestfordBeaver Dam
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Westford$229$3,488
Trenton$300$3,257
Beaver Dam$1,332$3,536

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 Beaver Dam’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitecityofbeaverdam.com ↗

Questions about Beaver Dam’s government

How much does Beaver Dam spend per resident?

About $1,446 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,332 was more than 71% of 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Beaver Dam?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,536 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.75% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofbeaverdam.com.

Who runs Beaver Dam’s government?

See cityofbeaverdam.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Beaver Dam yet.

How did Beaver Dam vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 50.2%, Kamala D Harris 48.2% (8,417 votes, official results). Dodge County: Trump 65.7%, Harris 32.8%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.

How many people work for Beaver Dam?

111 full-time and 34 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $671,317 (about $8.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Beaver Dam in the state legislature?

State Senate District 13 (John Jagler) and Assembly District 37 (Mark Born). The Assembly district also covers 20 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Beaver Dam?

The next posted meeting is Downtown Redevelopment Committee on Wednesday, November 4, at 9:00 am, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Beaver Dam’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →