Compare Local Government Taxing & Spending

I love data and information. I love to compare data and draw conclusions. Now and then one comes across a website that is really useful. "SeeThroughNY" is one of those websites. The website is sponsored by the Empire Center for NY State Policy and it allows you to access data and compare "effective property tax rates and per-person (i.e., "per-capita") values for the spending, debt and tax levels of counties, cities, towns and villages throughout the Empire State."

Here's just some of what you get when you ask to compare the villages of Lake Placid, Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake.

Total Expenditures Per Capita
Total all-categories spending divided by population. $6,556 $1,979 $1,651

Effective Property Tax Rate
0.70% 1.51% 1.33%

Taxes Per Capita
$1,184 $466 $629

Debt Per Capita
$8,780 $757 $2,063

Taxes Per Capita
$1,184 $466 $629

General Government Per Capita
$438 $159 $136

Public Safety Per Capita
$678 $212 $300

The website also gives area, regional and state rankings for each category. Very useful.