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Rifle, ColoradoPhoto: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0
Town Hall · Rifle

How is Rifle run?

Rifle’s city government spent $17.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,681 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.6 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Colorado.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$17.7M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,681
In 2022: $1,483, less than 52% of 54 similar cities
Long-term debt
$27.2M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2025
97
full-time · 28 part-time · March payroll $683,683 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$1,448
0.35% of home value · CO 0.48%

What stands out about how Rifle is run

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

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer24% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).A shared school districtShares Garfield School District RE-2 with 2 other towns.Lower tax billsThe typical bill is $1,448 a year: 0.35% of the home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Rifle’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 2024 budget

About $1,681 per resident a year, or $4.61 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 22%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 43%Fees & charges 19%Utility sales 18%From the state 8%Interest, fines & other 7%Other taxes & licenses 2%Property taxes 2%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $6.6 million; interest on debt $677,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $27.6 million.
About “Other”.41% of Rifle’s day-to-day spending ($7.2 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places

$1,483 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Rifle’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,483 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. Rifle spent less than 52% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,045–$2,154Median $1,533Rifle

Includes sewer and trash ($2.2 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
54

Colorado cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Rifle itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 22% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$14.5 million
2024$17.7 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,483 · 2024: $1,681. Per resident it went from $1,483 to $1,681 (up 13%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 9,775 to 10,551.

City staff
97

full-time in March 2025, up from 92 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.

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 $1,448 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.35% of the home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Colorado$2,602
Rifle$1,448
$1,448
typical bill a year
0.35%
effective rate
$413,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Rifle

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

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

One full-time city employee for every 109 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (10,551).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police28
Administration & buildings16 + 14 pt
Parks & libraries12 + 11 pt
Water & other utilities11
Roads & transportation7
Housing & development6 + 1 pt
Health & welfare3 + 2 pt
Sewer & trash4
Courts, inspections & corrections3
Other7
97
full-time
28
part-time
$683,683
payroll for March 2025
$8.2M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$80,900
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
19
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Rifle had 9.4 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 45 of the 54 Colorado cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 10.3: Rifle had fewer than 58% 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

Garfield School District RE-2

Rifle’s K–12 school district, shared with New Castle, Silt. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Rifle →
$14,167
per pupil · CO $15,889
4,786
students
$56.2 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,167 per pupil, $7,679 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 44%State 48%Federal 8%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Rifle’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Garfield County’s results30,376 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat49.8%15,128 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican47.7%14,493 votes

Others: 2.5% (755 votes).

Most votes in Garfield County: Kamala D Harris

Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%

The county’s page

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

Garfield 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 Rifle

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Rifle.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: rifleco.org ↗
  2. 2
    Colorado HouseState representatives
    Elizabeth Velasco
  3. 3
    Colorado SenateState senator
    Marc Catlin
  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.

Reach Rifle’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websiterifleco.org ↗

Questions about Rifle’s government

How much does Rifle spend per resident?

About $1,681 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 $1,483 was less than 52% of 54 Colorado cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Rifle?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,448 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.35% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see rifleco.org.

Who runs Rifle’s government?

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

How did Rifle vote in 2024?

Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Rifle alone. Garfield County, where 100% of Rifle lies, voted Harris 49.8%, Trump 47.7% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Rifle?

97 full-time and 28 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $683,683 (about $8.2M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Rifle in the state legislature?

State Senate District 5 (Marc Catlin) and State House District 57 (Elizabeth Velasco). The House district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Rifle?

The next posted meeting is City Council on Wednesday, November 4, at 7:00 pm, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Rifle’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 →