Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Bernice run?
Bernice’s town government spent $0 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $0 per resident.
What stands out about how Bernice is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Union Parish School District
Bernice’s K–12 school district, shared with Farmerville, Lillie, Marion, Spearsville, Downsville and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,757 per pupil, $8,755 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.
Louisiana districts overall: 47% local, 34% state, 19% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
$339 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Bernice’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($339 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 76 Louisiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $495, and the middle half spent $146–$888. Bernice spent less than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($204,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Louisiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bernice itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 100% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bernice reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $339 · 2024: $0.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $393 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.49% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bernice’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 Bernice’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bernice →
Who’s in charge in Bernice
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bernice’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on bernicela.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 78 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,319).
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.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Bernice.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: bernicela.org ↗
- 2Louisiana HouseState representatives
- 3Louisiana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Louisiana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Bernice’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bernice’s government
How much does Bernice spend per resident?
About $0 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $339 was less than 60% of 76 Louisiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bernice?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $393 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.49% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bernicela.org.
Who runs Bernice’s government?
See bernicela.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bernice yet.
How many people work for Bernice?
17 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $59,292 (about $711,504 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bernice in the state legislature?
State Senate District 33 (Stewart Cathey) and State House District 12 (Chris Turner). The House district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bernice’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 →