Photo: Ktkvtsh · CC BY 4.0How is Downsville run?
Downsville’s village government spent $40,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $310 per resident. Water and other utilities ($36,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Downsville is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $310 per resident a year, or $0.85 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 75%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$310 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Downsville’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($310 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. Downsville spent less than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($30,000), 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; Downsville itself left out).
No trend yet
Downsville reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $946 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.40% 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 Downsville’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 Downsville’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Downsville →
Who’s in charge in Downsville
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 129 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 (129).
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.
Union Parish School District
Downsville’s K–12 school district, shared with Bernice, Farmerville, Lillie, Marion, Spearsville 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.
Lincoln Parish School District · $16,471 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Downsville.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Downsville’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Downsville’s government
How much does Downsville spend per resident?
About $310 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 $310 was less than 63% of 76 Louisiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Downsville?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $946 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.40% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.
Who runs Downsville’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Downsville yet.
How many people work for Downsville?
1 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $6,643 (about $79,716 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Downsville 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 Downsville’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 →