Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Excelsior

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
Excelsior Town Hall - panoramioPhoto: Corey Coyle · CC BY 3.0
Town Hall · Excelsior

Excelsior spent less per resident in 2022 than 70% of similar towns

Excelsior’s town government spent $663,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $394 per resident.

Election Day

Today

General election in Wisconsin.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$663,000
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$394
In 2022: $394, less than 70% of 1113 similar towns
Long-term debt
$86,000
end of 2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
0
full-time · 23 part-time · March payroll $15,599
Typical tax bill
$3,159
1.13% of home value · WI 1.42%

What stands out about how Excelsior is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$394 per resident in 2022: less than 70% of them

Excelsior’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($394 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 1113 Wisconsin towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $511, and the middle half spent $371–$727. Excelsior spent less than 70% of them.

Middle half of the group, $371–$727Median $511Excelsior

Includes sewer and trash ($90,000), 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
1113

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

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $394 per resident a year, or $1.08 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 65%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 40%From the state 29%Fees & charges 15%From the federal government 14%Other taxes & licenses 2%From other local governments 1%Interest, fines & other <1%
Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $3,000. With these, the whole budget was $666,000.
Over the years

No trend yet

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

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,159 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.13% of the home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Freedom$3,946
Dellona$3,922
Wisconsin$3,792
Baraboo$3,748
Reedsburg$3,642
Delton$3,186
Excelsior$3,159
North Freedom$2,045
$3,159
typical bill a year
1.13%
effective rate
$280,100
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Excelsior

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

Check Excelsior’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Excelsior yet.
The school district

Reedsburg School District

Excelsior’s K–12 school district, shared with Ironton, La Valle, Loganville, Reedsburg, Reedsburg and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Excelsior →
$13,777
per pupil · WI $16,459
2,597
students
$15 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,777 per pupil, $8,580 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 59%Federal 9%

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

Also serving Excelsior

Baraboo School District · $13,823 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

How Excelsior voted in 2024

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

President1,082 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican58.7%635 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat40.2%435 votes

Others: 1.1% (12 votes).

Most votes in Excelsior: Donald J Trump

Sauk County: Trump 50.0%, Harris 48.4% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%

Turnout
76%

of Excelsior’s 1,418 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.

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

U.S. Senate1,075 votes
Eric HovdeRepublican55.4%
Tammy BaldwinDemocrat42.5%
Others2.0%

Most votes in Excelsior: Eric Hovde

Sauk County: Baldwin 49.6%, Hovde 48.1% · 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: Excelsior, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Excelsior58.7%40.2%1.1%1,082
Sauk County50.0%48.4%1.6%37,584
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 Excelsior

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Excelsior.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  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.

Next door

How Excelsior compares with the towns next door

Excelsior spent $394 per resident in 2022; the 6 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $379 to $844. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Reedsburg$379$3,642
Dellona$457$3,922
Baraboo$465$3,748
Delton$556$3,186
North Freedom$657$2,045
Freedom$844$3,946
Excelsior$394$3,159

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 Excelsior’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Excelsior’s government

How much does Excelsior spend per resident?

About $394 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 $394 was less than 70% of 1113 Wisconsin towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Excelsior?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,159 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.13% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.

Who runs Excelsior’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Excelsior yet.

How did Excelsior vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 58.7%, Kamala D Harris 40.2% (1,082 votes, official results). Sauk County: Trump 50.0%, Harris 48.4%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.

How many people work for Excelsior?

0 full-time and 23 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $15,599 (about $187,188 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Excelsior in the state legislature?

State Senate District 14 (Sarah Keyeski) and Assembly District 41 (Tony Kurtz). The Assembly district also covers 54 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Excelsior’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 →