How is Plains run?
Plains’ city government spent $372,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $364 per resident. Water and other utilities ($220,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Plains is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $364 per resident a year, or $1.00 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 79%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$364 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Plains’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($364 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. Plains spent less than 64% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($294,000), 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; Plains itself left out).
No trend yet
Plains reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, down from 5 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $1,664 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.10% 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 Plains’ 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 Plains’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Plains →
Who’s in charge in Plains
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Plains’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on Plains.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 255 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 (1,021).
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.
Kismet-Plains Unified School District 483
Plains’ K–12 school district, shared with Kismet, Fargo Township, West Plains Township, Cimarron Township, Seward Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,990 per pupil, $10,590 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.
Plains’ votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Plains alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Meade County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican84.2%1,427 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat14.6%247 votesOthers: 1.2% (21 votes).
Most votes in Meade County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Plains lies in Meade County. Every 2024 race in Meade County is on the county’s page.
Meade 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 Plains.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: Plains.org ↗
- 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 Plains’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Plains’ government
How much does Plains spend per resident?
About $364 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 $364 was less than 64% of 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Plains?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,664 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.10% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see Plains.org.
Who runs Plains’ government?
See Plains.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Plains yet.
How did Plains vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Plains alone. Meade County, where 100% of Plains lies, voted Trump 84.2%, Harris 14.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Plains?
4 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $13,851 (about $166,212 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Plains in the state legislature?
State Senate District 38 (Ron Ryckman) and State House District 125 (Shannon Francis). The House district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Plains’ 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 →