Photo: Kansas Geological Society · Public domainHow is Cottonwood Falls run?
Cottonwood Falls’ city government spent $473,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $560 per resident. Water and other utilities ($332,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Cottonwood Falls is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $560 per resident a year, or $1.53 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$560 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Cottonwood Falls’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($560 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $516, and the middle half spent $249–$751. Cottonwood Falls spent more than 55% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($174,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cottonwood Falls itself left out).
No trend yet
Cottonwood Falls reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,291 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.52% 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 Cottonwood Falls’ 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 Cottonwood Falls’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cottonwood Falls →
Who’s in charge in Cottonwood Falls
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Cottonwood Falls’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cottonwoodfallskansas.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 169 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 (845).
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.
Chase County Unified School District 284
Cottonwood Falls’ K–12 school district, shared with Bazaar Township, Cedar Point, Elmdale, Falls Township, Homestead Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,244 per pupil, $10,246 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.
Cottonwood Falls’ votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cottonwood Falls alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Chase County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican74.6%1,090 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat23.8%348 votesOthers: 1.6% (24 votes).
Most votes in Chase County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Cottonwood Falls lies in Chase County. Every 2024 race in Chase County is on the county’s page.
Chase 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 Cottonwood Falls.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cottonwoodfallskansas.com ↗
- 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 Cottonwood Falls’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Cottonwood Falls’ government
How much does Cottonwood Falls spend per resident?
About $560 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $560 was more than 55% of 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cottonwood Falls?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,291 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.52% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cottonwoodfallskansas.com.
Who runs Cottonwood Falls’ government?
See cottonwoodfallskansas.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cottonwood Falls yet.
How did Cottonwood Falls vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cottonwood Falls alone. Chase County, where 100% of Cottonwood Falls lies, voted Trump 74.6%, Harris 23.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Cottonwood Falls?
5 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $18,202 (about $218,424 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Cottonwood Falls in the state legislature?
State Senate District 14 (Mike Fagg) and State House District 13 (Duane Droge). The House district also covers 67 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cottonwood Falls’ 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 →