Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainHow is Alta Vista run?
Alta Vista’s city government spent $258,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $616 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Alta Vista didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Alta Vista is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $616 per resident a year, or $1.69 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 52%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Alta Vista 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 Alta Vista yet
Every year of Alta Vista’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 $1,375 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.62% of the home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Alta Vista’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 Alta Vista’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Alta Vista →
Who’s in charge in Alta Vista
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Morris County Unified School District 417
Alta Vista’s K–12 school district, shared with Council Grove, Dunlap, Dwight, Township 2, Township 9 and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,234 per pupil, $9,308 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.
Kansas districts overall: 28% local, 61% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Alta Vista’s votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Alta Vista alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Wabaunsee County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican73.4%2,816 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.6%944 votesOthers: 2.0% (76 votes).
Most votes in Wabaunsee County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Alta Vista lies in Wabaunsee County. Every 2024 race in Wabaunsee County is on the county’s page.
Wabaunsee 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 Alta Vista.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Kansas HouseState representatives
- 3Kansas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kansas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Alta Vista’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Alta Vista’s government
How much does Alta Vista spend per resident?
About $616 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Alta Vista didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $504,000.
What is the property tax rate in Alta Vista?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,375 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.62% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Alta Vista’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Alta Vista yet.
How did Alta Vista vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Alta Vista alone. Wabaunsee County, where 100% of Alta Vista lies, voted Trump 73.4%, Harris 24.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Alta Vista?
0 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $7,224 (about $86,688 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Alta Vista in the state legislature?
State Senate District 20 (Brenda Dietrich) and State House District 51 (Megan Steele). The House district also covers 28 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Alta Vista’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 Alta Vista, 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 →