Town government · Cumberland County, ME

Harpswell's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2021), Harpswell took in $14.8 million and spent $5.7 million.

Latest recorded year: ended December 31, 2021Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

Town taxes93%State tax money3.0%Fees for services (garbage collection)1.8%Federal tax money1.8%Fines and other0.6%

What stands out

90%

of Harpswell's money comes from property tax.A typical U.S. township or town of under 10,000 people gets 52%.

Town taxes93%

Property tax
90%$13.3 million
Other taxes
3.0%$450 thousand
What's in other taxesOther licenses and public utility taxes
  • Other licenses$348 thousand
  • Public utility taxes$102 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services1.8%

Fees for services
1.8%$265 thousand
What's in fees for servicesGarbage collection
  • Garbage collection$265 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money1.8%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
1.8%$260 thousand

State tax money3.0%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
3.0%$448 thousand

Fines and other0.6%

Interest, rents and other
0.6%$90 thousand
Fines
<0.1%$1 thousand

Where it goes

Running the government and other costs38%Police, fire, courts and jails15%Water, sewer, trash and utilities15%Roads, transit and parking13%Parks, recreation and libraries6.2%All other spending13%

What stands out

15%

of Harpswell's spending goes to water, sewer, trash and other utilities.Most U.S. townships and towns of under 10,000 people spend nothing on this.

Spending by category100%

Running the government and other costs
38%$2.2 million
What's in running the government and other costsCentral staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology); other and not broken out and 2 more
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$1.2 million
  • Other and not broken out$922 thousand
  • Government buildings$87 thousand
  • Other government-run businesses$11 thousand
Police, fire, courts and jails
15%$865 thousand
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$645 thousand
  • Fire protection$166 thousand
  • Courts and legal services$48 thousand
  • Inspections and regulation$6 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
15%$838 thousand
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste
  • Garbage and solid waste$838 thousand
Roads, transit and parking
13%$746 thousand
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and ports and harbors
  • Roads and highways$643 thousand
  • Ports and harbors$103 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
6.2%$357 thousand
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$202 thousand
  • Libraries$155 thousand
Health and hospitals
6.1%$349 thousand
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$349 thousand
Environment and natural resources
4.1%$232 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$232 thousand
Interest on debt
2.9%$165 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Town of Harpswell. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments, Finance, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. The Census record for this government is from the 2022 survey, the newest on file.

What this covers. The money of Town of Harpswell itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.