How Bala is run
Bala spent $73,000 in the year to December 31, 2022, about $104 per resident. (A Census Bureau estimate.)
What stands out about how Bala is run
Read from the town’s budget, meetings and records. The page puts what stands out first.
The typical homeowner pays $1,758 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.11% of the home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bala’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Riley County Unified School District 378
Bala’s K–12 school district, shared with Leonardville, Riley, Wildcat, Grant, Madison and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,440 per pupil, $8,174 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.
Kansas districts overall: 28% local, 61% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Who’s in charge in Bala
Local officials aren’t in the public records we use for Bala yet. Neighbors can add them.
About $104 per resident a year, or $0.28 a day
The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 82% of spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Bala didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
0 full-time staff
On the payroll in March 2022 (a Census Bureau estimate).
By department full-time, plus part-time
Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it’s approximate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
How Bala’s budget compares
Bala ranks 2nd lowest of 4 for spending per resident. Towns that run their own schools spend more. Tap a town to see its Town Hall.
| Town | Spent per resident | Debt per resident | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | $3 | — | $2,521 |
| Bala | $104 | — | $1,758 |
| Sherman | $185 | — | $3,225 |
| Fancy Creek | $202 | — | — |
The town government’s own spending in its newest year (often a Census Bureau estimate). — = no figures.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Bala.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Kansas HouseState representatives
- 3Kansas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kansas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Bala’s government
Numbers and hours come from neighbors and the town’s own site (the Handbook). A new one goes live once two neighbors confirm it.
Questions about how Bala is run?
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Bala, mostly the Bureau’s estimates). School district: Census school finance survey. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates. Representatives: Open States, the Census and congress-legislators.