How is Downey run?
Downey’s city government spent $1.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $1,920 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Downey didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Downey is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,920 per resident a year, or $5.26 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Downey didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Downey yet
Every year of Downey’s 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 →The typical homeowner pays $973 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.56% of the home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Downey’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Downey’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Downey →
Who’s in charge in Downey
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Downey’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on downeyidaho.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 317 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (634).
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.
Marsh Valley Joint School District 21
Downey’s K–12 school district, shared with Arimo, Inkom, Lava Hot Springs, McCammon. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,610 per pupil, $6,100 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.
Idaho districts overall: 21% local, 67% state, 12% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Downey’s votes are counted by county
Idaho reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Downey alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Bannock County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican60.9%24,329 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.8%14,306 votesOthers: 3.4% (1,341 votes).
Most votes in Bannock County: Donald J Trump
Idaho: Trump 66.9%, Harris 30.4%
100% of Downey lies in Bannock County. Every 2024 race in Bannock County is on the county’s page.
Bannock 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 Downey.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: downeyidaho.us ↗
- 2Idaho HouseState representatives
- 3Idaho SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Idaho
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Downey’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Downey’s government
How much does Downey spend per resident?
About $1,920 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Downey didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1.8 million.
What is the property tax rate in Downey?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $973 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.56% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see downeyidaho.us.
Who runs Downey’s government?
See downeyidaho.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Downey yet.
How did Downey vote in 2024?
Idaho counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Downey alone. Bannock County, where 100% of Downey lies, voted Trump 60.9%, Harris 35.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Downey?
2 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $15,897 (about $190,764 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Downey in the state legislature?
State Senate District 28 (Jim Guthrie) and State House District 28 (Dan Garner and Rick Cheatum). The House district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Downey’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 (for Downey, 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 →