Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Lucas

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
Garden of EdenGarden of Eden · Photo: IveGoneAway · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Lucas

How is Lucas run?

Lucas’ city government spent $1.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $2,813 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Lucas didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$1.1M
year to December 31, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$2,813
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$22,000
end of 2022 · Census estimate
City staff, 2025
3
full-time · 1 part-time · March payroll $6,868
Typical tax bill
$1,032
1.76% of home value · KS 1.29%

What stands out about how Lucas is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

The school district

Sylvan Grove Unified School District 299

Lucas’ K–12 school district, shared with Fairview Township, Hunter, Luray, Pleasant Township, Sylvan Grove and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Lucas →
$15,514
per pupil · KS $14,966
294
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $15,514 per pupil, $8,810 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 23%State 68%Federal 9%

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

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

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $2,813 per resident a year, or $7.71 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 2%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 59%From the state 13%Fees & charges 11%Property taxes 8%Interest, fines & other 5%Sales taxes 4%From other local governments <1%
An estimate

Lucas didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $39,000; interest on debt $2,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $1.2 million.
About “Other”.96% of Lucas’ day-to-day spending ($1 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Lucas yet

Every year of Lucas’ 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 →
City staff
3

full-time in March 2025, up from 2 in 2022.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,032 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.76% of the home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Kansas$2,798
Lucas$1,032
$1,032
typical bill a year
1.76%
effective rate
$58,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Lucas

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

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

Lucas’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on lucaskansas.com ↗.

Who works for Lucas

One full-time city employee for every 130 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (390).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Administration & buildings2
Water & other utilities1 + 1 pt
3
full-time
1
part-time
$6,868
payroll for March 2025
$82,416
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$24,400
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Lucas’ 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.

Elections · 2024 general election

Lucas’ votes are counted by county

Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lucas alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Russell County’s results.

President · Russell County’s results3,301 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican79.7%2,632 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat18.4%608 votes

Others: 1.8% (61 votes).

Most votes in Russell County: Donald J Trump

Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%

The county’s page

100% of Lucas lies in Russell County. Every 2024 race in Russell County is on the county’s page.

Russell County’s 2024 results →
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 Lucas

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Lucas.

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.

Reach Lucas’ government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Lucas’ government

How much does Lucas spend per resident?

About $2,813 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Lucas didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1.2 million.

What is the property tax rate in Lucas?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,032 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.76% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see lucaskansas.com.

Who runs Lucas’ government?

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

How did Lucas vote in 2024?

Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lucas alone. Russell County, where 100% of Lucas lies, voted Trump 79.7%, Harris 18.4% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Lucas?

3 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $6,868 (about $82,416 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Lucas 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 Lucas’ 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 Lucas, 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 →