Photo: Fredlyfish4 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Water Valley run?
Water Valley’s city government spent $1.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, about $454 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Water Valley didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Water Valley is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $454 per resident a year, or $1.24 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 48%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Water Valley didn’t report all of its 2023 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Water Valley yet
Every year of Water Valley’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2023. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,084 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.80% of the home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Water 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.
Tax bills are one input to Water Valley’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Water Valley →
Who’s in charge in Water Valley
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 79 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (3,301).
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.
Water Valley School District
Water Valley’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,798 per pupil, $6,598 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.
Mississippi districts overall: 33% local, 45% state, 23% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Water Valley’s votes are counted by county
Mississippi reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Water Valley alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Yalobusha County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.9%3,518 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat38.9%2,289 votesOthers: 1.2% (71 votes).
Most votes in Yalobusha County: Donald J Trump
Mississippi: Trump 60.9%, Harris 38.0%
100% of Water Valley lies in Yalobusha County. Every 2024 race in Yalobusha County is on the county’s page.
Yalobusha 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 Water Valley.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Mississippi HouseState representatives
- 3Mississippi SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Mississippi
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Water Valley’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Water Valley’s government
How much does Water Valley spend per resident?
About $454 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, a Census Bureau estimate (Water Valley didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $2 million.
What is the property tax rate in Water Valley?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,084 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.80% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Water Valley’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Water Valley yet.
How did Water Valley vote in 2024?
Mississippi counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Water Valley alone. Yalobusha County, where 100% of Water Valley lies, voted Trump 59.9%, Harris 38.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Water Valley?
42 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $163,395 (about $2.0M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Water Valley in the state legislature?
State Senate District 8 (Ben Suber) and State House District 34 (Kevin Horan). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Water Valley’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 (for Water 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 →