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Town Hall · Searcy

Searcy spent more per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities

Searcy’s city government spent $35.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,548 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.5 million) and the airport ($1.1 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Arkansas.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$35.6M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,548
In 2022: $1,144, more than 86% of 55 similar cities
Long-term debt
$8.8M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2025
278
full-time · 41 part-time · March payroll $1.3M · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$1,108
0.59% of home value · AR 0.55%

What stands out about how Searcy is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends more than most similar citiesIn 2022: $1,144 per resident, more than 86% of 55 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer35% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).A shared school districtShares Searcy School District with 2 other towns.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Searcy’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,548 per resident a year, or $4.24 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 28%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 31%Fees & charges 20%Utility sales 15%From other local governments 12%From the federal government 8%From the state 6%Interest, fines & other 6%Property taxes 1%Other taxes & licenses 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $12.3 million; interest on debt $215,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $53.9 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,144 per resident in 2022: more than 86% of them

Searcy’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,144 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 55 Arkansas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $819, and the middle half spent $612–$1,053. Searcy spent more than 86% of them.

Middle half of the group, $612–$1,053Median $819Searcy

Includes sewer and trash ($6.6 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
55

Arkansas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Searcy itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 32% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Searcy reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$26.9 million
2023$31.6 million
2024$35.6 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,144 · 2023: $1,367 · 2024: $1,548.

City staff
278

full-time in March 2025, up from 271 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.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,108 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.59% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Searcy$1,108
Arkansas$1,040
Higginson$491
Kensett$344
$1,108
typical bill a year
0.59%
effective rate
$188,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Searcy’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 Searcy’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Searcy →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Searcy

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

See cityofsearcy.org for Searcy’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Searcy yet.cityofsearcy.org ↗
Who works for Searcy

One full-time city employee for every 83 residents

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 2024 finance file (23,009).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police73 + 5 pt
Sewer & trash60
Fire54 + 2 pt
Water & other utilities33 + 3 pt
Parks & libraries19 + 20 pt
Administration & buildings10 + 10 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections12 + 1 pt
Roads & transportation6
Other11
278
full-time
41
part-time
$1.3M
payroll for March 2025
$15.1M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$51,900
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
59
sworn police officers
50
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Searcy had 11.5 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 41 of the 55 Arkansas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 9.3: Searcy had more than 73% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

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

Searcy School District

Searcy’s K–12 school district, shared with Higginson, Letona. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Searcy →
$11,818
per pupil · AR $13,585
4,012
students
$16.3 million
long-term debt

Of the $11,818 per pupil, $6,500 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 17%State 70%Federal 13%

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

Also serving Searcy

Riverview School District · $14,689 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Searcy’s votes are counted by county

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

President · White County’s results30,837 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican79.5%24,514 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat18.3%5,641 votes

Others: 2.2% (682 votes).

Most votes in White County: Donald J Trump

Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%

The county’s page

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

White 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 Searcy

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Searcy.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityofsearcy.org ↗
  2. 2
    Arkansas HouseState representatives
    Les Eaves
  3. 3
    Arkansas SenateState senator
    District 18
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Sarah Huckabee Sanders
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    J. French Hill
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Arkansas
    John BoozmanTom Cotton

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

Next door

How Searcy compares with the towns next door

Searcy spent $1,144 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $265. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Kensett: $265 per resident (2022)Higginson: no reported 2022 figuresKensettHigginsonSearcy
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Kensett$265$344
Higginsonestimate$491
Searcy$1,144$1,108

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 Searcy’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitecityofsearcy.org ↗

Questions about Searcy’s government

How much does Searcy spend per resident?

About $1,548 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,144 was more than 86% of 55 Arkansas cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Searcy?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,108 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.59% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofsearcy.org.

Who runs Searcy’s government?

See cityofsearcy.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Searcy yet.

How did Searcy vote in 2024?

Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Searcy alone. White County, where 100% of Searcy lies, voted Trump 79.5%, Harris 18.3% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Searcy?

278 full-time and 41 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $15.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Searcy in the state legislature?

State Senate District 18 and State House District 58 (Les Eaves). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Searcy?

The next posted meeting is Planning Commission on Wednesday, November 4, at 12:00 pm in City Hall, 401 W Arch, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Searcy’s 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; 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 →