Town Hall · Baker

Baker, LA town hall & government

Baker spent $24.5 million in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,973 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Baker's government.

Local leadership

Who runs Baker

Darnell WaitesMayorSince 2016 Wikidata ↗ Out of date? Sign in to tell us

From public records (Open States and Wikidata), which can lag behind an election. If a name is out of date, tell us: when two neighbors agree, it's hidden until the records catch up.

Town budget

Where Baker's money goes

Spent
$24.5 million
fiscal year to June 30, 2023
Per resident
$1,973
typical Louisiana cities: $2,626
Long-term debt
$6.2 million
$495 per resident
Water & other utilities
$6.4 million26%
Administration & buildings
$3.7 million15%
Roads & transportation
$3.7 million15%
Police
$3.5 million14%
Fire
$3.4 million14%
Sewer & trash
$2.2 million9%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$817,0003%
Parks & libraries
$148,0001%
Health & welfare
$73,000<1%
Other
$663,0003%

Where the money comes from

  • Sales taxes 41%
  • From the state 20%
  • Utility sales 13%
  • Fees & charges 13%
  • Interest, fines & other 7%
  • Other taxes & licenses 2%
  • Property taxes 2%
  • From the federal government 1%
  • From other local governments <1%
Town workforce

Who works for Baker

Full-time staff
124
26 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$51,600
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
24
and 21 full-time firefighters
Police
34 full-time6 part
Fire
22 full-time8 part
Roads & transportation
26 full-time
Administration & buildings
9 full-time7 part
Courts, inspections & corrections
7 full-time4 part
Parks & libraries
6 full-time
Water & other utilities
6 full-time
Sewer & trash
2 full-time
Other
12 full-time1 part

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2022. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Baker City School District

Baker's K–12 school district. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$16,796
Louisiana: $15,623
Students
1,047
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$7.7 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from Louisiana districts overall: 47% local, 34% state, 19% federal

  • Local 34%
  • State 30%
  • Federal 36%

Of the $16,796 per pupil, $9,759 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Property tax

What homeowners in Baker pay

Typical tax bill
$703
a year · Louisiana typical $1,180
Effective rate
0.45%
of home value · Louisiana 0.55%
Typical home value
$157,900
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Local

Contact Baker's government

Town hall & decisions in Baker →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Baker

Baker is represented in Congress by Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy and Representative Cleo Fields. Jeff Landry is governor.

All of Baker's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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Baker

Louisiana · LA
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