Cedar Creek Bridge · Photo: Alishasmith1005 · CC BY-SA 4.0Elgin spent less per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities
Elgin’s city government spent $6,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $76 per resident. Water and other utilities ($12,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Elgin is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$76 per resident in 2022: less than 96% of them
Elgin’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($76 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 $259–$751. Elgin spent less than 96% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2,000), 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; Elgin itself left out).
About $76 per resident a year, or $0.21 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 67%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Elgin reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $267 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.57% 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 Elgin’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 Elgin’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Elgin →
Who’s in charge in Elgin
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Chautauqua County Community Unified School District 286
Elgin’s K–12 school district, shared with Belleville Township, Chautauqua, Peru, Sedan, Lafayette Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,745 per pupil, $11,805 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.
Elgin’s votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Elgin alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Chautauqua County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican85.1%1,299 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat13.8%211 votesOthers: 1.1% (17 votes).
Most votes in Chautauqua County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Elgin lies in Chautauqua County. Every 2024 race in Chautauqua County is on the county’s page.
Chautauqua 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 Elgin.
- 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 Elgin’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Elgin’s government
How much does Elgin spend per resident?
About $76 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 $76 was less than 96% of 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Elgin?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $267 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.57% 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 Elgin’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Elgin yet.
How did Elgin vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Elgin alone. Chautauqua County, where 100% of Elgin lies, voted Trump 85.1%, Harris 13.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Elgin?
0 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $3,300 (about $39,600 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Elgin in the state legislature?
State Senate District 15 (Virgil Peck) and State House District 12 (Doug Blex). The House district also covers 70 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Elgin’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 →