Photo: Hustvedt · CC BY-SA 3.0Central spent more per resident in 2022 than 95% of similar cities
Central’s city government spent $5.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $7,569 per resident. Water and other utilities ($948,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Central is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$5,714 per resident in 2022: more than 95% of them
Central’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($5,714 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 150 Colorado cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $990, and the middle half spent $624–$1,732. Central spent more than 95% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Colorado cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Central itself left out).
About $7,569 per resident a year, or $20.74 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 41% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Central 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: $5,714 · 2024: $7,569. Per resident it went from $5,714 to $7,569 (up 32%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 730 to 779.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $700 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.19% of the home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Central’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 Central’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Central →
Who’s in charge in Central
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Central’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on centralcitycolorado.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 27 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (779).
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.
Gilpin County School District RE-1
Central’s K–12 school district, shared with Black Hawk. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,933 per pupil, $9,231 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.
Colorado districts overall: 55% local, 37% state, 8% federal.
Clear Creek School District RE-1 · $21,423 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Central compares with the towns next door
Central spent $5,714 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,978 to $113,031. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho Springs | $1,978 | $1,847 |
| Black Hawk | $113,031 | $582 |
| Central | $5,714 | $700 |
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 Central’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Central’s government
How much does Central spend per resident?
About $7,569 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $5,714 was more than 95% of 150 Colorado cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Central?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $700 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.19% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see centralcitycolorado.us.
Who runs Central’s government?
See centralcitycolorado.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Central yet.
How many people work for Central?
29 full-time and 15 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $221,487 (about $2.7M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Ask neighbors about Central’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 →