Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Paola run?
Paola’s city government spent $5.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,035 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Paola is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,035 per resident a year, or $2.84 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Paola yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Paola’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 and 2023 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, down from 43 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $2,839 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.35% 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 Paola’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.
Tax bills are one input to Paola’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Paola →
Who’s in charge in Paola
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Paola’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on CityOfPaola.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 137 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (5,738).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Paola Unified School District 368
Paola’s K–12 school district, shared with Paola Township, Marysville Township, Valley Township, Stanton Township, Richland Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $22,822 per pupil, $17,102 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.
Paola’s votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Paola alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Miami County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican68.8%12,854 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat29.3%5,472 votesOthers: 1.9% (359 votes).
Most votes in Miami County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Paola lies in Miami County. Every 2024 race in Miami County is on the county’s page.
Miami 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 Paola.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: CityOfPaola.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.
How Paola compares with the towns next door
Paola’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. None of its neighbors reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Paola Township | estimate | $2,869 |
| Marysville Township | estimate | $4,194 |
| Valley Township | estimate | $2,777 |
| Paola | estimate | $2,839 |
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 Paola’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Paola’s government
How much does Paola spend per resident?
About $1,035 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Paola?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,839 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.35% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see CityOfPaola.com.
Who runs Paola’s government?
See CityOfPaola.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Paola yet.
How did Paola vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Paola alone. Miami County, where 100% of Paola lies, voted Trump 68.8%, Harris 29.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Paola?
42 full-time and 52 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $297,599 (about $3.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Paola in the state legislature?
Paola is split among 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Kansas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Paola’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 →