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Town Hall · Durham

How Durham is run

Durham spent $16,000 in the year to December 31, 2022, about $151 per resident.

Photo: Steve Meirowsky
City budget
$16,000
spent, year to December 31, 2022
Per resident
$151
Below typical Kansas cities ($1,604)
Long-term debt
None
at year end
City staff
0
full-time · 17 part-time
Typical tax bill
$850
a year · KS $2,798

What stands out about how Durham 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 $151 per resident a year, or $0.41 a day

The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 56% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 33%Utility sales 33%Property taxes 30%Other taxes & licenses 4%
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $850 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.59% of the home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Kansas$2,798
Durham$850
$850
typical bill a year
1.59%
effective rate
$53,300
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Durham-Hillsboro-Lehigh Unified School District 410

Durham’s K–12 school district, shared with Hillsboro, Lehigh, Logan, Risley, Lehigh and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Durham →
$14,641
per pupil · KS $14,966
629
students
$16.2 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,641 per pupil, $9,199 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 26%State 70%Federal 5%

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 Durham

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

Who works for Durham

0 full-time staff

On the payroll in March 2022.

By department full-time, plus part-time

Administration & buildings0 + 7 pt
Roads & transportation0 + 1 pt
Water & other utilities0 + 1 pt
Other0 + 8 pt
0
full-time
17
part-time

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

Who represents Durham

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Durham.

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 Durham’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 Durham is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Durham 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. 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

Sign in to add to Durham’s handbook. Every fact you add earns karma once neighbors confirm it.