Photo: User:Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 2.5In Waunakee, 96% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Wisconsin
Waunakee’s village government spent $15.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,081 per resident. Water and other utilities ($14.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Waunakee is run
Read from the village’s budget, meetings and official records.
About $1,081 per resident a year, or $2.96 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,081 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Waunakee’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,081 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. Waunakee spent less than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.9 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; Waunakee itself left out).
No trend yet
Waunakee reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $7,899 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.53% 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 Waunakee’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 Waunakee’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Waunakee →
Recent meetings
From Waunakee’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
- Oct8GeneralThursday · 6:00 pm · 500 West Main StreetCommunity DevelopmentMeeting page ↗
- Sep28GeneralMonday · 6:00 pm · 500 West Main StreetTemplate ReviewMeeting 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 Waunakee
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 140 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 (14,188).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Waunakee Community School District
Waunakee’s K–12 school district, shared with Westport, Vienna, Springfield. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,574 per pupil, $9,459 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 Waunakee voted in 2024
Official results for Waunakee’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat62.5%6,433 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican36.0%3,703 votesOthers: 1.6% (163 votes).
Most votes in Waunakee: Kamala D Harris
Dane County: Harris 74.9%, Trump 23.4% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Waunakee’s 10,732 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Waunakee: Tammy Baldwin
Dane County: Baldwin 75.3%, Hovde 23.3% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Mark Pocan
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Waunakee, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waunakee | 62.5% | 36.0% | 1.6% | 10,299 |
| Dane County | 74.9% | 23.4% | 1.8% | 365,929 |
| Wisconsin | 48.7% | 49.6% | 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 Waunakee.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: waunakee.gov ↗
- 2Wisconsin AssemblyState representatives
- 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 Waunakee compares with the towns next door
Waunakee spent $1,081 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.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Westport | $1,010 | $7,024 |
| Waunakee | $1,081 | $7,899 |
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 Waunakee’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Waunakee’s government
How much does Waunakee spend per resident?
About $1,081 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 $1,081 was less than 58% of 59 Wisconsin cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Waunakee?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $7,899 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.53% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see waunakee.gov.
Who runs Waunakee’s government?
See waunakee.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Waunakee yet.
How did Waunakee vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 62.5%, Donald J Trump 36.0% (10,299 votes, official results). Dane County: Harris 74.9%, Trump 23.4%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Waunakee?
101 full-time and 72 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $595,644 (about $7.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Waunakee 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 Waunakee’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 →