City government · Buffalo County, NE

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), Kearney took in $104 million and spent $88.9 million.

Latest recorded year: ended September 30, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

Fees for services (sewer, water)43%City taxes28%State tax money15%Fines and other14%

What stands out

16%

of Kearney's money comes from sales tax.Most U.S. cities of 10,000 to 50,000 people get none.

City taxes28%

Sales tax
16%$17.0 million
Other taxes
6.4%$6.6 million
What's in other taxesOccupation and business licenses; other licenses and 1 more
  • Occupation and business licenses$4.5 million
  • Other licenses$1.3 million
  • Motor vehicle licenses$867 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Property tax
4.8%$5.0 million

Fees for services43%

Fees for services
43%$44.5 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; water and 7 more
  • Sewer$11.6 million
  • Water$10.9 million
  • Airport$7.8 million
  • Other service charges$7.6 million
  • Garbage collection$5.3 million
  • Parks and recreation$1.3 million
  • Housing$16 thousand
  • Road charges$7 thousand
  • Parking$2 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

State tax money15%

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

From the state
15%$15.8 million

County and local tax money<0.1%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
<0.1%$7 thousand

Fines and other14%

Interest, rents and other
14%$14.6 million
Fines
<0.1%$10 thousand

Where it goes

Parks, recreation and libraries25%Roads, transit and parking24%Police, fire, courts and jails15%Running the government and other costs15%Water, sewer, trash and utilities14%All other spending6.9%

What stands out

25%

of Kearney's spending goes to parks, recreation and libraries.A typical U.S. city of 10,000 to 50,000 people spends 5.6%.

Spending by category100%

Parks, recreation and libraries
25%$22.1 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$20.0 million
  • Libraries$2.1 million
Roads, transit and parking
24%$21.1 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; airports and 1 more
  • Roads and highways$15.9 million
  • Airports$5.2 million
  • Parking$30 thousand
Police, fire, courts and jails
15%$13.7 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 1 more
  • Police$7.8 million
  • Fire protection$4.9 million
  • Inspections and regulation$959 thousand
Running the government and other costs
15%$13.2 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 3 more
  • Other and not broken out$6.4 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$3.5 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$2.7 million
  • Government buildings$543 thousand
  • Other government-run businesses$14 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
14%$12.6 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Water supply$6.4 million
  • Sewer systems$5.8 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$360 thousand
Interest on debt
3.7%$3.3 million
Housing and community development
2.6%$2.3 million
Health and hospitals
0.6%$522 thousand
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$522 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Kearney. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended September 30, 2023.

What this covers. The money of City of Kearney 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.