Government

Taxes  | Housing  |  Financial Institutions  |  Labor Force

Blackwell has a council-manager form of government. Five city council members direct the city manager, who supervises the city’s 20-person fire department, 15-member police department, and 53 city utility and transportation personnel. The city’s fire insurance ISO rating is a 5 classification, while the adjacent area has a 9 classification.

A city planning and zoning program is in place, administered by a full-time engineering and code enforcement department. The city and county have no bond indebtedness at this time.

Blackwell’s property tax rate is $84.60 per $1,000 assessed value. The fractional assessment percentage for real property is 11 percent, and the percentage for personal property is 14 percent. The city’s sales tax rate is 4 percent, while the state’s rate is 4.5 percent. The county sales tax is .66 percent.

Housing

Blackwell has 3,636 dwellings of which 83 percent are owner-occupied. The city has 3,400 total housing units. Houses on multiple listings average 50. The average selling price of a single-family unit ranges from $50,000 to $60,000 and is on the market an average of 90 days. Blackwell has five commercial multi-unit apartment complexes with a 95 percent average occupancy rate. The average price of a single-family unit with 1,600-square-feet is $80,000. The average lease for a 3-bedroom home is $475.

Financial Institutions

Blackwell has three progressive banks – Central National Bank & Trust Co., Home National Bank, and BancFirst Bank – with combined assets in excess of $390 million.

Labor Force (30-mile radius)

The figures below indicate the labor force in the Blackwell-Kay County region.