Town government · St Lawrence County, NY

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2023), Potsdam took in $5.2 million and spent $4.9 million.

Latest recorded year: ended December 31, 2023Comes fromGoes to

See every government that serves your ZIP

Where it comes from

Town taxes47%County and local tax money30%State tax money16%Fines and other6.7%Fees for services (sewer, parks and recreation)0.7%

What stands out

30%

of Potsdam's money comes from county and other local tax money.Most U.S. townships and towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people get none.

Town taxes47%

Property tax
43%$2.3 million
Other taxes
3.8%$196 thousand
What's in other taxesOther licenses; public utility taxes and 1 more
  • Other licenses$124 thousand
  • Public utility taxes$54 thousand
  • Other taxes not classified elsewhere$18 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services0.7%

Fees for services
0.7%$36 thousand
What's in fees for servicesOther service charges; sewer and 2 more
  • Other service charges$13 thousand
  • Sewer$12 thousand
  • Parks and recreation$7 thousand
  • Water$4 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

State tax money16%

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

From the state
16%$814 thousand

County and local tax money30%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
30%$1.6 million

Fines and other6.7%

Interest, rents and other
5.3%$278 thousand
Fines
1.4%$73 thousand

Where it goes

Roads, transit and parking43%Running the government and other costs34%Police, fire, courts and jails14%Parks, recreation and libraries5.7%Health and hospitals1.9%All other spending1.2%

What stands out

43%

of Potsdam's spending goes to roads, transit and parking.A typical U.S. township or town of 10,000 to 50,000 people spends 9.2%.

Spending by category100%

Roads, transit and parking
43%$2.1 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and public transit
  • Roads and highways$2.1 million
  • Public transit$3 thousand
Running the government and other costs
34%$1.7 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; finance, tax collection and budgeting and 3 more
  • Other and not broken out$1.1 million
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$303 thousand
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$149 thousand
  • Government buildings$141 thousand
  • Other government-run businesses$6 thousand
Police, fire, courts and jails
14%$708 thousand
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsFire protection; courts and legal services and 2 more
  • Fire protection$346 thousand
  • Courts and legal services$288 thousand
  • Inspections and regulation$69 thousand
  • Police$5 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
5.7%$280 thousand
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$280 thousand
Health and hospitals
1.9%$93 thousand
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$93 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
0.8%$41 thousand
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; sewer systems and 1 more
  • Water supply$22 thousand
  • Sewer systems$18 thousand
  • Garbage and solid waste$1 thousand
Housing and community development
0.2%$12 thousand
Interest on debt
0.1%$5 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

Town of Potsdam. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

What this covers. The money of Town of Potsdam 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.