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Revised photo, downtown Cotton Valley, LA IMG 5128Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Cotton Valley

How is Cotton Valley run?

Cotton Valley’s town government spent $1.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,451 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Cotton Valley didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$1.4M
year to December 31, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$1,451
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$162,000
end of 2022 · Census estimate
Town staff, 2022
2
full-time · 14 part-time · March payroll $13,899
Typical tax bill
$199
0.29% of home value · LA 0.55%

What stands out about how Cotton Valley is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,451 per resident a year, or $3.98 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 29%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 43%Property taxes 15%Fees & charges 13%Other taxes & licenses 12%Utility sales 8%From the state 7%Interest, fines & other 2%From other local governments <1%
An estimate

Cotton Valley didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $52,000; payments to other governments $3,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $1.5 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Cotton Valley yet

Every year of Cotton Valley’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $199 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.29% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Louisiana$1,180
Cotton Valley$199
$199
typical bill a year
0.29%
effective rate
$68,600
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Cotton Valley’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 Cotton Valley’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cotton Valley →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Cotton Valley

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See cottonvalleylouisiana.net for Cotton Valley’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Cotton Valley yet.cottonvalleylouisiana.net ↗
Agendas

Cotton Valley’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on cottonvalleylouisiana.net ↗.

Who works for Cotton Valley

One full-time town employee for every 467 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 (933).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Administration & buildings0 + 10 pt
Police0 + 4 pt
Housing & development1
Water & other utilities1
2
full-time
14
part-time
$13,899
payroll for March 2022
$166,788
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$31,900
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Cotton Valley’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Webster Parish School District

Cotton Valley’s K–12 school district, shared with Cullen, Dixie Inn, Doyline, Dubberly, Heflin and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Cotton Valley →
$16,109
per pupil · LA $15,623
5,359
students
$27.5 million
long-term debt

Of the $16,109 per pupil, $9,901 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 40%State 37%Federal 23%

Louisiana districts overall: 47% local, 34% state, 19% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Who represents Cotton Valley

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Cotton Valley.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
  2. 2
    Louisiana HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Louisiana SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Louisiana

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Cotton Valley’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Cotton Valley’s government

How much does Cotton Valley spend per resident?

About $1,451 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Cotton Valley didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1.5 million.

What is the property tax rate in Cotton Valley?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $199 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.29% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cottonvalleylouisiana.net.

Who runs Cotton Valley’s government?

See cottonvalleylouisiana.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cotton Valley yet.

How many people work for Cotton Valley?

2 full-time and 14 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $13,899 (about $166,788 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Cotton Valley in the state legislature?

State Senate District 36 (Adam Bass) and State House District 10 (Wayne McMahen). The House district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Cotton Valley’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 (for Cotton Valley, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →