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Town Hall · Denison

How Denison is run

Denison spent $273,000 in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,560 per resident. (A Census Bureau estimate.)

City budget
$273,000
spent, year to December 31, 2022
Per resident
$1,560
Below typical Kansas cities ($1,604)
Long-term debt
$25,000
$143 per resident
City staff
1
full-time · 1 part-time
Typical tax bill
$944
a year · KS $2,798

What stands out about how Denison is run

Read from the town’s budget, meetings and records. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Your share of the budget

About $1,560 per resident a year, or $4.27 a day

The biggest line: water & other utilities, at 63% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 59%Fees & charges 15%Other taxes & licenses 9%From other local governments 5%Property taxes 5%From the state 3%Sales taxes 2%Interest, fines & other 1%
An estimate

Denison didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $944 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.68% of the home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Kansas$2,798
Denison$944
$944
typical bill a year
1.68%
effective rate
$56,300
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Denison’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.

The school district

Holton Unified School District 336

Denison’s K–12 school district, shared with Holton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Denison →
$17,138
per pupil · KS $14,966
1,170
students
$15 million
long-term debt

Of the $17,138 per pupil, $11,601 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 30%State 57%Federal 13%

Kansas districts overall: 28% local, 61% state, 11% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Denison

Local officials aren’t in the public records we use for Denison yet. Neighbors can add them.

Who works for Denison

One full-time town employee for every 175 residents

On the payroll in March 2022 (a Census Bureau estimate).

By department full-time, plus part-time

Administration & buildings1 + 1 pt
1
full-time
1
part-time
$32,100
average full-time pay, before benefits

Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it’s approximate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

Who represents Denison

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Denison.

Politics & elections →
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Kansas HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Kansas SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kansas

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Denison’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.

The Handbook →

Questions about how Denison is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Denison get good value for its tax dollars?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Ask neighbors

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 Denison, 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.

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Add to the handbook

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