Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Harper

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Harper Train StationPhoto: Art davis · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Harper

In Harper, 63% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Kansas

Harper’s city government spent $1.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,306 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Harper didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Kansas.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$1.7M
year to December 31, 2024 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2024
$1,306
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of 2024 · Census estimate
City staff, 2022
19
full-time · 8 part-time · March payroll $99,273
Typical tax bill
$1,514
1.93% of home value · KS 1.29%

What stands out about how Harper is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,306 per resident a year, or $3.58 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 37%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 39%Sales taxes 26%Utility sales 22%Fees & charges 12%Interest, fines & other 2%Other taxes & licenses <1%
An estimate

Harper didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $71,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $2.1 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Harper yet

Every year of Harper’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,514 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.93% of the home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Kansas$2,798
Township 5$2,167
Harper$1,514
$1,514
typical bill a year
1.93%
effective rate
$78,600
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Harper’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 Harper’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Harper →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Harper

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See cityofharper.com for Harper’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Harper yet.cityofharper.com ↗
Agendas

Harper’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofharper.com ↗.

Who works for Harper

One full-time city employee for every 67 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,276).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Administration & buildings3 + 6 pt
Sewer & trash6
Roads & transportation4
Police3 + 1 pt
Water & other utilities2
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 1 pt
Other1
19
full-time
8
part-time
$99,273
payroll for March 2022
$1.2M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$61,400
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
3
sworn police officers
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Harper’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Chaparral Schools Unified School District 361

Harper’s K–12 school district, shared with Anthony, Bluff City, Danville, Township 3, Waldron and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Harper →
$17,375
per pupil · KS $14,966
835
students
$2.7 million
long-term debt

Of the $17,375 per pupil, $10,320 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 21%State 65%Federal 14%

Kansas districts overall: 28% local, 61% state, 11% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

How Harper voted in 2024

Official results for Harper’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.

President529 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican77.9%412 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat20.2%107 votes

Others: 1.9% (10 votes).

Most votes in Harper: Donald J Trump

Harper County: Trump 81.1%, Harris 17.1% · Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%

Turnout
63%

of Harper’s 844 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Kansas: 62%.

Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).

U.S. House · Kansas’s 4th District305,097 votes
Ron EstesRepublican65.0%
Esau FreemanDemocrat35.0%

Most votes in the district: Ron Estes

Whole-district result

President, 2024: Harper, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Harper77.9%20.2%1.9%529
Harper County81.1%17.1%1.8%2,555
Kansas57.2%41.0%1.8%1,327,591
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Harper

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Harper.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    Kansas HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Kansas SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kansas

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Harper compares with the towns next door

Harper’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 0 of the 1 towns next door reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Township 5estimate$2,167
Harperestimate$1,514

Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).

Reach Harper’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Harper’s government

How much does Harper spend per resident?

About $1,306 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Harper didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $2.1 million.

What is the property tax rate in Harper?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,514 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.93% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofharper.com.

Who runs Harper’s government?

See cityofharper.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Harper yet.

How did Harper vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 77.9%, Kamala D Harris 20.2% (529 votes, official results). Harper County: Trump 81.1%, Harris 17.1%. Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%.

How many people work for Harper?

19 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $99,273 (about $1.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Harper in the state legislature?

State Senate District 32 (Larry Alley) and State House District 116 (Kyle Hoffman). The House district also covers 70 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Harper’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 Harper, 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 →