How is Pretty Prairie run?
Pretty Prairie’s city government spent $318,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $493 per resident. Water and other utilities ($10,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Pretty Prairie is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $493 per resident a year, or $1.35 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 64%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$493 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Pretty Prairie’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($493 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. Pretty Prairie spent less than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($98,000), 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; Pretty Prairie itself left out).
No trend yet
Pretty Prairie reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, the same as 4 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $2,185 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.19% 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 Pretty Prairie’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 Pretty Prairie’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Pretty Prairie →
Who’s in charge in Pretty Prairie
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Pretty Prairie’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/PrettyPrairie ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 161 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (645).
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.
Pretty Prairie Unified School District 311
Pretty Prairie’s K–12 school district, shared with Albion Township, Roscoe Township, Loda Township, Ninnescah Township, Castleton Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,505 per pupil, $9,681 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.
Pretty Prairie’s votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pretty Prairie alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Reno County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.2%17,847 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat31.8%8,554 votesOthers: 2.0% (539 votes).
Most votes in Reno County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Pretty Prairie lies in Reno County. Every 2024 race in Reno County is on the county’s page.
Reno 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 Pretty Prairie.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/PrettyPrairie ↗
- 2Kansas HousePretty Prairie is split between 2 districts
- 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 Pretty Prairie’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Pretty Prairie’s government
How much does Pretty Prairie spend per resident?
About $493 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 $493 was less than 53% of 252 Kansas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Pretty Prairie?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,185 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.19% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/PrettyPrairie.
Who runs Pretty Prairie’s government?
See skyways.lib.ks.us/towns/PrettyPrairie for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Pretty Prairie yet.
How did Pretty Prairie vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pretty Prairie alone. Reno County, where 100% of Pretty Prairie lies, voted Trump 66.2%, Harris 31.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Pretty Prairie?
4 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $16,917 (about $203,004 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Pretty Prairie in the state legislature?
Pretty Prairie is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Kansas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 34 (Mike Murphy). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Pretty Prairie’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 →