Photo: Lauren Shufelberger · CC BY-SA 3.0Mena runs its own hospital
Mena’s city government spent $5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $899 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. It also runs a hospital ($33.3 million) and water utilities ($1.5 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Mena is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $899 per resident a year, or $2.46 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$819 per resident in 2022: more than 69% of them
Mena’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($819 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 32 Arkansas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $688, and the middle half spent $510–$852. Mena spent more than 69% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($440,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Arkansas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Mena itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 14% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Mena reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $819 · 2023: $899.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), the same as 47 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $569 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.43% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Mena’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.
Tax bills are one input to Mena’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Mena →
Who’s in charge in Mena
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Mena’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofmena.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 119 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (5,613).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Mena Public Schools
Mena’s K–12 school district, shared with Hatfield. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,556 per pupil, $6,955 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.
Arkansas districts overall: 16% local, 70% state, 14% federal.
Ouachita River School District · $13,092 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Mena’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mena alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Polk County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican84.3%6,987 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat13.8%1,145 votesOthers: 1.9% (156 votes).
Most votes in Polk County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Mena lies in Polk County. Every 2024 race in Polk County is on the county’s page.
Polk County’s 2024 results →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.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Mena.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofmena.org ↗
- 2Arkansas HouseState representatives
- 3Arkansas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Arkansas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Mena’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Mena’s government
How much does Mena spend per resident?
About $899 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. Mena also runs a hospital ($33.3 million), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $819 was more than 69% of 32 Arkansas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Mena?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $569 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.43% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofmena.org.
Who runs Mena’s government?
See cityofmena.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Mena yet.
How did Mena vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mena alone. Polk County, where 100% of Mena lies, voted Trump 84.3%, Harris 13.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Mena?
47 full-time and 75 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 1 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $284,495 (about $3.4M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Mena in the state legislature?
State Senate District 5 (Terry Rice) and State House District 86 (John Maddox). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Mena’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
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; 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 →