Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Dane

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
DaneWisconsinVillageHallWIS113Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Dane

Dane spent less per resident in 2022 than 81% of similar cities

Dane’s village government spent $902,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $795 per resident. Water and other utilities ($203,000) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Wisconsin.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$902,000
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$795
In 2022: $795, less than 81% of 375 similar cities
Long-term debt
$4.6M
end of 2022, reported
Village staff, 2022
4
full-time · 1 part-time · March payroll $16,352
Typical tax bill
$5,558
1.59% of home value · WI 1.42%

What stands out about how Dane is run

Read from the village’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$795 per resident in 2022: less than 81% of them

Dane’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($795 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 375 Wisconsin cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,107, and the middle half spent $866–$1,431. Dane spent less than 81% of them.

Middle half of the group, $866–$1,431Median $1,107Dane

Includes sewer and trash ($264,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
375

Wisconsin cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Dane itself left out).

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $795 per resident a year, or $2.18 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 29%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 44%Utility sales 17%Fees & charges 17%From the state 11%Interest, fines & other 6%Other taxes & licenses 5%From the federal government <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $198,000; interest on debt $198,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $1.5 million.
Over the years

No trend yet

Dane reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $5,558 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.59% of the home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Dane$5,558
Wisconsin$3,792
$5,558
typical bill a year
1.59%
effective rate
$350,000
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Dane

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

See villageofdane.org for Dane’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Dane yet.villageofdane.org ↗
Agendas

Dane’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on villageofdane.org ↗.

Who works for Dane

One full-time village employee for every 284 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 (1,134).

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

Administration & buildings1 + 1 pt
Roads & transportation1
Sewer & trash1
Water & other utilities1
4
full-time
1
part-time
$16,352
payroll for March 2022
$196,224
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$46,300
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Dane had 3.5 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 306 of the 375 Wisconsin cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 5.4: Dane had fewer than 65% 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

Lodi School District

Dane’s K–12 school district, shared with Lodi, Lodi, Dane, West Point, Arlington. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Dane →
$15,545
per pupil · WI $16,459
1,487
students
$9.1 million
long-term debt

Of the $15,545 per pupil, $8,923 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 54%State 41%Federal 5%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

How Dane voted in 2024

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

President662 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican50.0%331 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat48.2%319 votes

Others: 1.8% (12 votes).

Most votes in Dane: Donald J Trump

Dane County: Harris 74.9%, Trump 23.4% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%

Turnout
81%

of Dane’s 821 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.

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

U.S. Senate661 votes
Tammy BaldwinDemocrat51.3%
Eric HovdeRepublican47.0%
Others1.7%

Most votes in Dane: Tammy Baldwin

Dane County: Baldwin 75.3%, Hovde 23.3% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%

U.S. House · Wisconsin’s 2nd District457,257 votes
Mark PocanDemocrat70.1%
Erik OlsenRepublican29.8%
Others0.1%

Most votes in the district: Mark Pocan

Whole-district result

President, 2024: Dane, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Dane50.0%48.2%1.8%662
Dane County23.4%74.9%1.8%365,929
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 Dane

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Dane.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    Wisconsin AssemblyState representatives
  3. 3
    Wisconsin SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Wisconsin

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

Reach Dane’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Dane’s government

How much does Dane spend per resident?

About $795 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $795 was less than 81% of 375 Wisconsin cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Dane?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $5,558 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.59% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see villageofdane.org.

Who runs Dane’s government?

See villageofdane.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Dane yet.

How did Dane vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 50.0%, Kamala D Harris 48.2% (662 votes, official results). Dane County: Harris 74.9%, Trump 23.4%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.

How many people work for Dane?

4 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $16,352 (about $196,224 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Dane in the state legislature?

State Senate District 27 (Dianne Hesselbein) and Assembly District 81 (Alex Joers). The Assembly district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Dane’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 →