Sears House · Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Ward run?
Ward’s city government spent $1.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $279 per resident.
What stands out about how Ward is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Cabot Public Schools
Ward’s K–12 school district, shared with Austin, Cabot. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,648 per pupil, $6,789 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $279 per resident a year, or $0.76 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 77%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$615 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Ward’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($615 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 $730, and the middle half spent $510–$852. Ward spent less than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($664,000), 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; Ward itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 45% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Ward 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: $615 · 2023: $607 · 2024: $279. Per resident it went from $615 to $279 (down 55%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 5,486 to 6,623.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,368 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.72% 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 Ward’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 Ward’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ward →
Who’s in charge in Ward
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Ward’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bestofward.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 125 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (6,623).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Ward’s votes are counted by county
Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ward alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lonoke County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican75.8%23,225 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat22.2%6,790 votesOthers: 2.0% (605 votes).
Most votes in Lonoke County: Donald J Trump
Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%
100% of Ward lies in Lonoke County. Every 2024 race in Lonoke County is on the county’s page.
Lonoke 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 Ward.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bestofward.com ↗
- 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.
How Ward compares with the towns next door
Ward spent $615 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $374. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $374 | $1,380 |
| Ward | $615 | $1,368 |
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 Ward’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Ward’s government
How much does Ward spend per resident?
About $279 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 $615 was less than 62% of 32 Arkansas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Ward?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,368 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.72% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bestofward.com.
Who runs Ward’s government?
See bestofward.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ward yet.
How did Ward vote in 2024?
Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ward alone. Lonoke County, where 100% of Ward lies, voted Trump 75.8%, Harris 22.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Ward?
53 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $151,065 (about $1.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ward in the state legislature?
State Senate District 11 (Ricky Hill) and State House District 59 (Jim Wooten). The House district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ward’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 →