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Courthouse view in Oberlin, LA IMG 1077Photo: Billy Hathorn at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Oberlin

How is Oberlin run?

Oberlin’s town government spent $1.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $772 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Oberlin didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Louisiana.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$1.3M
year to June 30, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$772
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$2.3M
end of FY2022 · Census estimate
Town staff, 2022
20
full-time · 11 part-time · March payroll $86,834
Typical tax bill
$199
0.21% of home value · LA 0.55%

What stands out about how Oberlin is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Runs its own water & sewer43% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (a Census estimate).A shared school districtShares Allen Parish School District with 4 other towns.Lower tax billsThe typical bill is $199 a year: 0.21% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana.
★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $772 per resident a year, or $2.12 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 40%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 41%Fees & charges 18%Sales taxes 17%Interest, fines & other 8%From the state 7%Other taxes & licenses 4%From the federal government 3%Property taxes 2%
An estimate

Oberlin 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 $41,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $1.9 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Oberlin yet

Every year of Oberlin’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 0.21% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Louisiana$1,180
Oberlin$199
$199
typical bill a year
0.21%
effective rate
$96,000
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Oberlin

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

Check Oberlin’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Oberlin yet.
Who works for Oberlin

One full-time town employee for every 85 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 (1,702).

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

Administration & buildings5 + 8 pt
Sewer & trash6
Police3 + 2 pt
Roads & transportation3
Water & other utilities3
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 1 pt
20
full-time
11
part-time
$86,834
payroll for March 2022
$1.0M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$47,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
3
sworn police officers
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Oberlin’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

Allen Parish School District

Oberlin’s K–12 school district, shared with Elizabeth, Kinder, Oakdale, Reeves. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Oberlin →
$15,681
per pupil · LA $15,623
4,027
students
$19.2 million
long-term debt

Of the $15,681 per pupil, $9,117 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 36%State 47%Federal 17%

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

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

Who represents Oberlin

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Oberlin.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Louisiana HouseState representatives
    Dewith Carrier
  3. 3
    Louisiana SenateState senator
    Heather Cloud
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Jeff Landry
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Mike Johnson
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Louisiana
    Bill CassidyJohn Kennedy

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

Reach Oberlin’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Oberlin’s government

How much does Oberlin spend per resident?

About $772 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Oberlin didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1.9 million.

What is the property tax rate in Oberlin?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $199 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.21% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.

Who runs Oberlin’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Oberlin yet.

How many people work for Oberlin?

20 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $86,834 (about $1.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Oberlin in the state legislature?

State Senate District 28 (Heather Cloud) and State House District 32 (Dewith Carrier). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Oberlin’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 Oberlin, 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 →