Photo: Tjrudebeck at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Kaukauna run?
Kaukauna’s city government spent $24 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,380 per resident. Water and other utilities ($54.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Kaukauna is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
About $1,380 per resident a year, or $3.78 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,152 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Kaukauna’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,152 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 $1,166, and the middle half spent $949–$1,409. Kaukauna spent less than 51% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.2 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 →
Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Kaukauna itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 27% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Kaukauna 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: $1,152 · 2023: $1,267 · 2024: $1,380. Per resident it went from $1,152 to $1,380 (up 20%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 16,356 to 17,372.
full-time in March 2025, up from 99 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,383 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.50% of the home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Kaukauna’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 Kaukauna’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Kaukauna →
Recent meetings
From Kaukauna’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
No upcoming meetings are posted yet.
Recent meetings
- Sep26GeneralSaturday · 6:00 pm · Common Council Chambers, 144 W. 2nd StreetTEST EVENTMeeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗Who’s in charge in Kaukauna
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 155 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (17,372).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Kaukauna Area School District
Kaukauna’s K–12 school district, shared with Vandenbroek, Sherwood, Buchanan, Harrison, Little Chute and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,506 per pupil, $7,637 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.
Wisconsin districts overall: 39% local, 50% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Kaukauna voted in 2024
Official results for Kaukauna’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican53.7%5,257 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat44.8%4,384 votesOthers: 1.5% (144 votes).
Most votes in Kaukauna: Donald J Trump
Outagamie County: Trump 54.3%, Harris 44.2% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Kaukauna’s 13,859 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Kaukauna: Eric Hovde
Outagamie County: Hovde 53.2%, Baldwin 44.3% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Tony Wied
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Kaukauna, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaukauna | 53.7% | 44.8% | 1.5% | 9,785 |
| Outagamie County | 54.3% | 44.2% | 1.5% | 111,932 |
| Wisconsin | 49.6% | 48.7% | 1.7% | 3,422,918 |
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 Kaukauna.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofkaukauna.com ↗
- 2Wisconsin AssemblyKaukauna is split between 2 districts
- 3Wisconsin SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Wisconsin
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Kaukauna compares with the towns next door
Kaukauna spent $1,152 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $243 to $1,437. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Vandenbroek | $243 | $4,067 |
| Buchanan | $249 | $4,259 |
| Harrison | $368 | $4,455 |
| Combined Locks | $649 | $3,473 |
| Little Chute | $1,437 | $3,399 |
| Kaukauna | $1,152 | $3,383 |
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 Kaukauna’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Kaukauna’s government
How much does Kaukauna spend per resident?
About $1,380 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 $1,152 was less than 51% of 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Kaukauna?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,383 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.50% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofkaukauna.com.
Who runs Kaukauna’s government?
See cityofkaukauna.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Kaukauna yet.
How did Kaukauna vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 53.7%, Kamala D Harris 44.8% (9,785 votes, official results). Outagamie County: Trump 54.3%, Harris 44.2%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Kaukauna?
112 full-time and 56 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $866,346 (about $10.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Kaukauna in the state legislature?
Kaukauna is split among 2 Assembly districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Wisconsin Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Kaukauna’s 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 →