Henry Tilley House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0How is Ransom run?
Ransom’s city government spent $0 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $0 per resident.
What stands out about how Ransom is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Western Plains Unified School District 106
Ransom’s K–12 school district, shared with Bazine, Brownell, Highpoint Township, Nevada Township, Utica and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $22,449 per pupil, $13,331 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.
No comparison or trend for Ransom yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Ransom’s 2022 operating figures are mostly a Census estimate, so they aren’t compared. It reported 2022 only, so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,359 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.35% 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 Ransom’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 Ransom’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ransom →
Who’s in charge in Ransom
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Ransom’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofransomkansas.weebly.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 262 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (262).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Ransom’s votes are counted by county
Kansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ransom alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Ness County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican88.4%1,205 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat9.5%129 votesOthers: 2.1% (29 votes).
Most votes in Ness County: Donald J Trump
Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%
100% of Ransom lies in Ness County. Every 2024 race in Ness County is on the county’s page.
Ness 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 Ransom.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofransomkansas.weebly.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.
Reach Ransom’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Ransom’s government
How much does Ransom spend per resident?
About $0 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Ransom?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,359 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.35% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofransomkansas.weebly.com.
Who runs Ransom’s government?
See cityofransomkansas.weebly.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ransom yet.
How did Ransom vote in 2024?
Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ransom alone. Ness County, where 100% of Ransom lies, voted Trump 88.4%, Harris 9.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Ransom?
1 full-time and 15 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $5,565 (about $66,780 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ransom in the state legislature?
State Senate District 33 (Tory Marie Blew) and State House District 118 (Jim Minnix). The House district also covers 62 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ransom’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 →