Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0Monte Vista spent less per resident in 2022 than 72% of similar cities
Monte Vista’s city government spent $5.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,235 per resident. Water and other utilities ($934,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Monte Vista is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,061 per resident in 2022: less than 72% of them
Monte Vista’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,061 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 54 Colorado cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,533, and the middle half spent $1,045–$2,154. Monte Vista spent less than 72% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.1 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 →
Colorado cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Monte Vista itself left out).
About $1,235 per resident a year, or $3.38 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 19% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Monte Vista 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: $1,061 · 2024: $1,235.
full-time in March 2025, up from 42 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $961 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.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Monte Vista’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 Monte Vista’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Monte Vista →
Who’s in charge in Monte Vista
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Monte Vista’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.monte-vista.co.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 80 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (4,145).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Monte Vista School District C-8
Monte Vista’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,196 per pupil, $8,092 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Monte Vista’s votes are counted by county
Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Monte Vista alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Rio Grande County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican60.4%3,743 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.2%2,306 votesOthers: 2.3% (145 votes).
Most votes in Rio Grande County: Donald J Trump
Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%
100% of Monte Vista lies in Rio Grande County. Every 2024 race in Rio Grande County is on the county’s page.
Rio Grande 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 Monte Vista.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.monte-vista.co.us ↗
- 2Colorado HouseState representatives
- 3Colorado SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Colorado
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Monte Vista’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Monte Vista’s government
How much does Monte Vista spend per resident?
About $1,235 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 $1,061 was less than 72% of 54 Colorado cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Monte Vista?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $961 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 ci.monte-vista.co.us.
Who runs Monte Vista’s government?
See ci.monte-vista.co.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Monte Vista yet.
How did Monte Vista vote in 2024?
Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Monte Vista alone. Rio Grande County, where 100% of Monte Vista lies, voted Trump 60.4%, Harris 37.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Monte Vista?
52 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $279,857 (about $3.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Monte Vista in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Cleave Simpson) and State House District 62 (Matt Martinez). The House district also covers 17 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Monte Vista’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 →