Photo: Ixnayonthetimmay · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Show Low run?
Show Low’s city government spent $26.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,178 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.9 million) and the airport ($1.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Show Low is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Show Low’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov3City CouncilTuesday · 7:00 pm · City Council Meeting*CANCELLED* City Council Regular MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov10Planning and Zoning CommissionTuesday · 7:00 pm · City Council ChambersPlanning and Zoning Commission Regular MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17City CouncilTuesday · 7:00 pm · City Council MeetingCity Council Regular MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec1City CouncilTuesday · 7:00 pm · 181 North 9th Street, 181 N*CANCELLED* City Council Regular MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec8City CouncilTuesday · 7:00 pm · City Council MeetingCity Council Regular MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec8Planning and Zoning CommissionTuesday · 7:00 pm · City Council ChambersPlanning and Zoning Commission Regular MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct28City CouncilWednesday · 2:00 pm · 181 N 9th StCity Council Special MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct28City CouncilWednesday · 9:00 am · 760 E. McNeil, Building CCouncil RetreatAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct27Planning and Zoning CommissionTuesday · 7:00 pm · City Council Chambers***CANCELLED*** Planning and Zoning Commission Regular MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct27GeneralTuesday · 4:15 pm · 180 N. 9th Street, Deuce of Clubs Conference RoomParks and Recreation CommitteeAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct20City CouncilTuesday · 7:00 pm · City Council Meeting*CANCELLED* City Council Regular MeetingMeeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $2,178 per resident a year, or $5.97 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,685 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Show Low’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,685 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 31 Arizona cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,123, and the middle half spent $931–$1,802. Show Low spent more than 64% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.6 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Arizona cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Show Low itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 35% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Show Low 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: $1,685 · 2023: $1,788 · 2024: $2,178. Per resident it went from $1,685 to $2,178 (up 29%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 11,578 to 12,056.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,391 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.46% of the home’s value, vs 0.48% across Arizona.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Show Low’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.
Tax bills are one input to Show Low’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Show Low →
Who’s in charge in Show Low
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 93 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (12,056).
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.
Show Low Unified District
Show Low’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,430 per pupil, $5,408 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.
Arizona districts overall: 35% local, 47% state, 18% federal.
Blue Ridge Unified District · $12,427 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Show Low’s votes are counted by county
Arizona reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Show Low alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Navajo County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican58.0%29,480 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat40.8%20,754 votesOthers: 1.2% (613 votes).
Most votes in Navajo County: Donald J Trump
100% of Show Low lies in Navajo County. Every 2024 race in Navajo County is on the county’s page.
Navajo 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 Show Low.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.show-low.az.us ↗
- 2Arizona HouseState representatives
- 3Arizona SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Arizona
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Show Low compares with the towns next door
Show Low spent $1,685 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Pinetop-Lakeside | estimate | $2,092 |
| Show Low | $1,685 | $1,391 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Show Low’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Show Low’s government
How much does Show Low spend per resident?
About $2,178 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,685 was more than 64% of 31 Arizona cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Show Low?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,391 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.46% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Arizona. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.show-low.az.us.
Who runs Show Low’s government?
See ci.show-low.az.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Show Low yet.
How did Show Low vote in 2024?
Arizona counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Show Low alone. Navajo County, where 100% of Show Low lies, voted Trump 58.0%, Harris 40.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Show Low?
130 full-time and 52 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $757,285 (about $9.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Show Low in the state legislature?
State Senate District 7 (Wendy Rogers) and State House District 7 (Sylvia Allen and Walt Blackman). The House district also covers 16 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Show Low?
The next posted meeting is City Council on Tuesday, November 3, at 7:00 pm in City Council Meeting, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Show Low’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 →