Downs Missouri Pacific Depot · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0How is Downs run?
Downs’ city government spent $299,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $366 per resident. Water and other utilities ($148,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Downs is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $366 per resident a year, or $1.00 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 38%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$366 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Downs’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($366 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 $518, and the middle half spent $249–$751. Downs spent less than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($30,000), 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; Downs itself left out).
No trend yet
Downs reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,606 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.56% 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 Downs’ 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 Downs’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Downs →
Who’s in charge in Downs
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Downs’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on downsks.net ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 164 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 (818).
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.
Waconda Unified School District 272
Downs’ K–12 school district, shared with Carr Creek Township, Cawker City, Cawker Township, Glen Elder, Glen Elder Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,141 per pupil, $11,792 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.
How Downs voted in 2024
Official results for Downs’ own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican78.3%296 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat20.6%78 votesOthers: 1.1% (4 votes).
Most votes in Downs: Donald J Trump
Osborne County: Trump 83.3%, Harris 14.7% · Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
of Downs’ 614 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Kansas: 62%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in the district: Tracey Mann
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Downs, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downs | 78.3% | 20.6% | 1.1% | 378 |
| Osborne County | 83.3% | 14.7% | 2.0% | 1,774 |
| Kansas | 57.2% | 41.0% | 1.8% | 1,327,591 |
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 Downs.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: downsks.net ↗
- 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 Downs’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Downs’ government
How much does Downs spend per resident?
About $366 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 $366 was less than 63% of 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Downs?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,606 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.56% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see downsks.net.
Who runs Downs’ government?
See downsks.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Downs yet.
How did Downs vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 78.3%, Kamala D Harris 20.6% (378 votes, official results). Osborne County: Trump 83.3%, Harris 14.7%. Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%.
How many people work for Downs?
5 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $13,651 (about $163,812 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Downs in the state legislature?
State Senate District 36 (Elaine Bowers) and State House District 109 (Troy Waymaster). The House district also covers 115 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Downs’ 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 →