Photo: TulGuy · CC BY 4.0How is Bernice run?
Bernice’s town government spent $416,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $718 per resident. Water and other utilities ($141,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bernice is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $718 per resident a year, or $1.97 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 40%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$718 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Bernice’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($718 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 181 Oklahoma cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $677, and the middle half spent $497–$902. Bernice spent more than 56% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Oklahoma cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bernice itself left out).
No trend yet
Bernice reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $541 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.46% of the home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bernice’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 Bernice’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bernice →
Who’s in charge in Bernice
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 193 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 (579).
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.
Cleora Public School
Bernice’s elementary school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,315 per pupil, $10,907 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.
Oklahoma districts overall: 42% local, 45% state, 14% federal.
Afton Public Schools · $14,673 per pupil
Grove Public Schools · $11,608 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Bernice’s votes are counted by county
Oklahoma reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Bernice alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Delaware County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican79.6%14,407 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat19.2%3,475 votesOthers: 1.2% (226 votes).
Most votes in Delaware County: Donald J Trump
Oklahoma: Trump 66.2%, Harris 31.9%
100% of Bernice lies in Delaware County. Every 2024 race in Delaware County is on the county’s page.
Delaware 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 Bernice.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Oklahoma HouseState representatives
- 3Oklahoma SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Oklahoma
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Bernice’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Bernice’s government
How much does Bernice spend per resident?
About $718 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $718 was more than 56% of 181 Oklahoma cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bernice?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $541 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.46% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.80% across Oklahoma. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Bernice’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bernice yet.
How did Bernice vote in 2024?
Oklahoma counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Bernice alone. Delaware County, where 100% of Bernice lies, voted Trump 79.6%, Harris 19.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bernice?
3 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $11,957 (about $143,484 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bernice in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Micheal Bergstrom) and State House District 5 (Josh West). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bernice’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 →