Plains spent less per resident in 2022 than 72% of similar cities
Plains’ town government spent $336,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $203 per resident. Water and other utilities ($107,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Plains is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$203 per resident in 2022: less than 72% of them
Plains’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($203 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. Plains spent less than 72% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($85,000), as the Census Bureau counts 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; Plains itself left out).
About $203 per resident a year, or $0.56 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 37%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Plains reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $867 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.65% 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 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 plainstx.net ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 166 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 (1,655).
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 Independent School District
Plains’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,050 per pupil, $12,596 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.
Plains’ votes are counted by county
Texas 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 Yoakum County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican85.1%2,039 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat14.3%342 votesOthers: 0.7% (16 votes).
Most votes in Yoakum County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Plains lies in Yoakum County. Every 2024 race in Yoakum County is on the county’s page.
Yoakum 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: plainstx.net ↗
- 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 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 $203 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $203 was less than 72% of 346 Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Plains?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $867 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.65% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see plainstx.net.
Who runs Plains’ government?
See plainstx.net 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?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Plains alone. Yoakum County, where 100% of Plains lies, voted Trump 85.1%, Harris 14.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Plains?
10 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $40,775 (about $489,300 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Plains in the state legislature?
State Senate District 31 (Kevin Sparks) and State House District 88 (Ken King). The House district also covers 50 other 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; 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 →