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Town Hall · WaKeeney

How WaKeeney is run

WaKeeney spent $1.8 million in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,009 per resident. (A Census Bureau estimate.)

Town website
City budget
$1.8 million
spent, year to December 31, 2022
Per resident
$1,009
Below typical Kansas cities ($1,604)
Long-term debt
$3.3 million
$1,904 per resident
City staff
18
full-time · 21 part-time
Typical tax bill
$2,082
a year · KS $2,798

What stands out about how WaKeeney 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 $1,009 per resident a year, or $2.76 a day

The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 33% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 33%Sales taxes 24%Fees & charges 20%Utility sales 15%From the state 5%From other local governments 2%Interest, fines & other 2%Other taxes & licenses <1%
An estimate

WaKeeney 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 $2,082 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.66% of the home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Kansas$2,798
WaKeeney$2,082
$2,082
typical bill a year
1.66%
effective rate
$125,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

WaKeeney Unified School District 208

WaKeeney’s K–12 school district, shared with Collyer, Collyer Township, WaKeeney Township, Ogallah Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in WaKeeney →
$14,808
per pupil · KS $14,966
401
students
$3.3 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,808 per pupil, $9,835 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 33%State 60%Federal 7%

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 WaKeeney

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

Who works for WaKeeney

One full-time town employee for every 97 residents

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

By department full-time, plus part-time

Administration & buildings2 + 10 pt
Roads & transportation5 + 1 pt
Parks & libraries3 + 5 pt
Police5
Water & other utilities3
Fire0 + 3 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 2 pt
18
full-time
21
part-time
$50,800
average full-time pay, before benefits
5
sworn police officers

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

Who represents WaKeeney

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for WaKeeney.

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 WaKeeney’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 →
Official websiteWakeeney.org ↗

Questions about how WaKeeney is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does WaKeeney 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 WaKeeney, 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.

Post to WaKeeney

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Add to the handbook

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