How is Plains run?
Plains’ town government spent $745,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $654 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Plains didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Plains is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $654 per resident a year, or $1.79 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Plains didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Plains yet
Every year of Plains’ 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 →The typical homeowner pays $1,188 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.48% of the home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Plains’ 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 Plains’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Plains →
Who’s in charge in Plains
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Plains’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on plainsmontana.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 163 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 (1,139).
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.
Plains K-12 Schools
Plains’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,183 per pupil, $7,960 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.
Montana districts overall: 44% local, 39% state, 17% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Plains’ votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Plains alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Sanders County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican76.2%6,150 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat21.1%1,705 votesOthers: 2.7% (214 votes).
Most votes in Sanders County: Donald J Trump
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of Plains lies in Sanders County. Every 2024 race in Sanders County is on the county’s page.
Sanders 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 Plains.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: plainsmontana.com ↗
- 2Montana HouseState representatives
- 3Montana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Montana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Plains’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Plains’ government
How much does Plains spend per resident?
About $654 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Plains didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1 million.
What is the property tax rate in Plains?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,188 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.48% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see plainsmontana.com.
Who runs Plains’ government?
See plainsmontana.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Plains yet.
How did Plains vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Plains alone. Sanders County, where 100% of Plains lies, voted Trump 76.2%, Harris 21.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Plains?
7 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $46,257 (about $555,084 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Plains in the state legislature?
State Senate District 7 (Greg Hertz) and State House District 14 (Paul Fielder). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Plains’ 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 Plains, 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 →