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Fruita-Interstate70-signagePhoto: Librarian Hat, AG · Public domain
Town Hall · Fruita

Fruita spent less per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities

Fruita’s city government spent $12.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $924 per resident.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Colorado.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$12.5M
year to December 31, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$924
In 2022: $817, less than 100% of 18 similar cities
Long-term debt
$24.3M
end of 2023, reported
City staff, 2022
93
full-time · 103 part-time · March payroll $531,543
Typical tax bill
$1,699
0.43% of home value · CO 0.48%

What stands out about how Fruita is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends less than most similar citiesIn 2022: $817 per resident, less than 100% of 18 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer19% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2023).A shared school districtShares Mesa County Valley School District 51 with 2 other towns.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Fruita’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2023 budget

About $924 per resident a year, or $2.53 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 27%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 33%Fees & charges 32%From other local governments 17%Property taxes 8%From the state 4%Interest, fines & other 4%Other taxes & licenses 2%From the federal government 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $3.4 million; interest on debt $605,000; payments to other governments $904,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $17.5 million.
Compared with similar places

$817 per resident in 2022: less than 100% of them

Fruita’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($817 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 Colorado cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,314, and the middle half spent $952–$1,750. Fruita spent less than 100% of them.

Middle half of the group, $952–$1,750Median $1,314Fruita

Includes sewer and trash ($2.4 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 →

The group
18

Colorado cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Fruita itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 7% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Fruita reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$11.7 million
2023$12.5 million

Per resident: 2022: $817 · 2023: $924. Per resident it went from $817 to $924 (up 13%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 14,295 to 13,508.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,699 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.43% of the home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Colorado$2,602
Redlands$1,869
Loma$1,814
Fruita$1,699
$1,699
typical bill a year
0.43%
effective rate
$398,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Fruita’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 Fruita’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Fruita →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Fruita

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See fruita.org for Fruita’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Fruita yet.fruita.org ↗
Who works for Fruita

One full-time city employee for every 145 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 (13,508).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Parks & libraries16 + 87 pt
Police21 + 1 pt
Sewer & trash19
Administration & buildings9 + 8 pt
Roads & transportation13
Housing & development4
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 2 pt
Other11 + 5 pt
93
full-time
103
part-time
$531,543
payroll for March 2022
$6.4M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$59,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
18
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Fruita had 6.5 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 14 of the 18 Colorado cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 6.2: Fruita had more than 57% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Mesa County Valley School District 51

Fruita’s K–12 school district, shared with Grand Junction, Palisade. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Fruita →
$13,648
per pupil · CO $15,889
20,078
students
$238.4 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,648 per pupil, $7,334 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 43%State 46%Federal 12%

Colorado districts overall: 55% local, 37% state, 8% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Fruita’s votes are counted by county

Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fruita alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Mesa County’s results.

President · Mesa County’s results91,620 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican60.9%55,839 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat36.6%33,573 votes

Others: 2.4% (2,208 votes).

Most votes in Mesa County: Donald J Trump

Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%

The county’s page

100% of Fruita lies in Mesa County. Every 2024 race in Mesa County is on the county’s page.

Mesa County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Fruita

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Fruita.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: fruita.org ↗
  2. 2
    Colorado HouseState representatives
    Matt Soper
  3. 3
    Colorado SenateState senator
    Janice Rich
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Jared Polis
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Jeff Hurd
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Colorado
    Michael F. BennetJohn W. Hickenlooper

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Fruita compares with the towns next door

Fruita spent $817 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Redlands: unincorporated, no town budgetLoma: unincorporated, no town budgetRedlandsLomaFruita
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Fruita$817$1,699

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 Fruita’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitefruita.org ↗

Questions about Fruita’s government

How much does Fruita spend per resident?

About $924 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $817 was less than 100% of 18 Colorado cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Fruita?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,699 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.43% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see fruita.org.

Who runs Fruita’s government?

See fruita.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Fruita yet.

How did Fruita vote in 2024?

Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fruita alone. Mesa County, where 100% of Fruita lies, voted Trump 60.9%, Harris 36.6% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Fruita?

93 full-time and 103 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $531,543 (about $6.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Fruita in the state legislature?

State Senate District 7 (Janice Rich) and State House District 54 (Matt Soper). The House district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Fruita?

The next posted meeting is City Council on Friday, November 6, at 6:00 pm, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Fruita’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →