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Altus Grape Festival 002Photo: Doug Wertman from Rogers, AR, USA · CC BY 2.0
Town Hall · Altus

How is Altus run?

Altus’ city government spent $659,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $904 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Altus didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Arkansas.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$659,000
year to December 31, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$904
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$364,000
end of 2022 · Census estimate
City staff, 2022
5
full-time · 53 part-time · March payroll $52,441 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$489
0.45% of home value · AR 0.55%

What stands out about how Altus is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $904 per resident a year, or $2.48 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 44%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 41%Interest, fines & other 17%Sales taxes 16%From the state 8%Fees & charges 6%From other local governments 6%Property taxes 4%Other taxes & licenses 2%
An estimate

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

Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $12,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $1 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Altus yet

Every year of Altus’ figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $489 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.45% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Arkansas$1,040
Denning$520
Altus$489
$489
typical bill a year
0.45%
effective rate
$108,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Tax bills are one input to Altus’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Altus →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Altus

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

Check Altus’ own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Altus yet.
Who works for Altus

One full-time city employee for every 146 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (729).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Fire0 + 33 pt
Administration & buildings0 + 13 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 7 pt
Roads & transportation2
Water & other utilities2
Police1
5
full-time
53
part-time
$52,441
payroll for March 2022
$629,292
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$46,400
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
1
sworn police officers
Estimates.Altus didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Ozark School District

Altus’ K–12 school district, shared with Denning, Ozark, Wiederkehr Village. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Altus →
$12,844
per pupil · AR $13,585
1,736
students
$17.7 million
long-term debt

Of the $12,844 per pupil, $7,351 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 13%State 75%Federal 12%

Arkansas districts overall: 16% local, 70% state, 14% federal.

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Altus’ votes are counted by county

Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Altus alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Franklin County’s results.

President · Franklin County’s results6,971 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican80.1%5,582 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat17.7%1,232 votes

Others: 2.3% (157 votes).

Most votes in Franklin County: Donald J Trump

Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%

The county’s page

100% of Altus lies in Franklin County. Every 2024 race in Franklin County is on the county’s page.

Franklin County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.

Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.

Who represents Altus

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Altus.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Arkansas HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Arkansas SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Arkansas

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

Next door

How Altus compares with the towns next door

Altus’ own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 0 of the 2 towns next door reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Wiederkehr Villageestimate—
Denningestimate$520
Altusestimate$489

Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).

Reach Altus’ government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Altus’ government

How much does Altus spend per resident?

About $904 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Altus didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1 million.

What is the property tax rate in Altus?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $489 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.45% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.

Who runs Altus’ government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Altus yet.

How did Altus vote in 2024?

Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Altus alone. Franklin County, where 100% of Altus lies, voted Trump 80.1%, Harris 17.7% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Altus?

5 full-time and 53 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $52,441 (about $629,292 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Altus in the state legislature?

State Senate District 26 (Brad Simon) and State House District 26 (James Eaton). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Altus’ government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Altus, the Bureau’s estimates); day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →