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Steam Locomotive #1385Steam Locomotive #1385 · Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domain
Town Hall · Freedom

Freedom spent more per resident in 2022 than 82% of similar towns

Freedom’s town government spent $454,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,011 per resident.

Day-to-day spending, 2024
$454,000
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,011
In 2022: $844, more than 82% of 1113 similar towns
Long-term debt
$31,000
end of 2024, reported
Town staff, 2022
1
full-time · 10 part-time · March payroll $9,424
Typical tax bill
$3,946
1.19% of home value · WI 1.42%

What stands out about how Freedom is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$844 per resident in 2022: more than 82% of them

Freedom’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($844 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 $509, and the middle half spent $371–$727. Freedom spent more than 82% of them.

Middle half of the group, $371–$727Median $509Freedom

Includes sewer and trash ($12,000), 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; Freedom itself left out).

Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,011 per resident a year, or $2.77 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 69%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 66%From the state 27%Interest, fines & other 5%From other local governments 1%From the federal government 1%Fees & charges <1%Other taxes & licenses <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $13,000; interest on debt $2,000. With these, the whole budget was $469,000.
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 13% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$401,000
2024$454,000

Per resident: 2022: $844 · 2024: $1,011. Per resident it went from $844 to $1,011 (up 20%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 475 to 449.

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 $3,946 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.19% of the home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Honey Creek$4,581
Freedom$3,946
Westfield$3,839
Wisconsin$3,792
Baraboo$3,748
Sumpter$3,228
Excelsior$3,159
North Freedom$2,045
$3,946
typical bill a year
1.19%
effective rate
$332,400
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Freedom

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

Check Freedom’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Freedom yet.
Who works for Freedom

One full-time town employee for every 449 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 (449).

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

Administration & buildings0 + 7 pt
Roads & transportation1 + 1 pt
Sewer & trash0 + 1 pt
Fire0 + 1 pt
1
full-time
10
part-time
$9,424
payroll for March 2022
$113,088
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$48,400
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Freedom had 2.1 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 835 of the 1113 Wisconsin towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 0.4: Freedom had more than 80% 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

Reedsburg School District

Freedom’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 Freedom →
$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 Freedom

Baraboo School District · $13,823 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

How Freedom voted in 2024

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

President306 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican61.1%187 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat37.6%115 votes

Others: 1.3% (4 votes).

Most votes in Freedom: Donald J Trump

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

Turnout
78%

of Freedom’s 394 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.

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

U.S. Senate305 votes
Eric HovdeRepublican59.3%
Tammy BaldwinDemocrat39.0%
Others1.6%

Most votes in Freedom: 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: Freedom, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Freedom61.1%37.6%1.3%306
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 Freedom

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Freedom.

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 Freedom compares with the towns next door

Freedom spent $844 per resident in 2022; the 6 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $278 to $667. 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
Sumpter$278$3,228
Excelsior$394$3,159
Baraboo$465$3,748
North Freedom$657$2,045
Westfield$662$3,839
Honey Creek$667$4,581
Freedom$844$3,946

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 Freedom’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Freedom’s government

How much does Freedom spend per resident?

About $1,011 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 $844 was more than 82% of 1113 Wisconsin towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Freedom?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,946 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.19% 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 Freedom’s government?

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

How did Freedom vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 61.1%, Kamala D Harris 37.6% (306 votes, official results). Sauk County: Trump 50.0%, Harris 48.4%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.

How many people work for Freedom?

1 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $9,424 (about $113,088 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Freedom 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 Freedom’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 →