Kempner spent less per resident in 2022 than 70% of similar cities
Kempner’s city government spent $193,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, about $163 per resident.
What stands out about how Kempner is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$211 per resident in 2022: less than 70% of them
Kempner’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($211 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 346 Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $433, and the middle half spent $184–$752. Kempner spent less than 70% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Kempner itself left out).
About $163 per resident a year, or $0.45 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 52%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 21% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Kempner reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $211 · 2023: $163.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,656 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.07% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Kempner’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 Kempner’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Kempner →
Who’s in charge in Kempner
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 236 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,182).
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.
Lampasas Independent School District
Kempner’s K–12 school district, shared with Lampasas. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,625 per pupil, $7,180 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.
Texas districts overall: 51% local, 36% state, 13% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Kempner’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Kempner alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lampasas County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican79.2%8,961 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat19.7%2,232 votesOthers: 1.1% (128 votes).
Most votes in Lampasas County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Kempner lies in Lampasas County. Every 2024 race in Lampasas County is on the county’s page.
Lampasas 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 Kempner.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Texas HouseState representatives
- 3Texas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Kempner’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Kempner’s government
How much does Kempner spend per resident?
About $163 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $211 was less than 70% of 346 Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Kempner?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,656 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.07% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Kempner’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Kempner yet.
How did Kempner vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Kempner alone. Lampasas County, where 100% of Kempner lies, voted Trump 79.2%, Harris 19.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Kempner?
5 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $20,005 (about $240,060 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Kempner in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (Pete Flores) and State House District 68 (David Spiller). The House district also covers 40 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Kempner’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 →