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Saguache School and Jail BuildingsSaguache School and Jail Buildings · Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Saguache

How is Saguache run?

Saguache’s town government spent $564,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,062 per resident. Water and other utilities ($145,000) are counted separately.

Day-to-day spending, 2022
$564,000
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$1,062
In 2022: $1,062, more than 55% of 150 similar cities
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of 2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
8
full-time · 0 part-time · March payroll $45,100
Typical tax bill
$883
a year

What stands out about how Saguache is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,062 per resident a year, or $2.91 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 26%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 35%From other local governments 22%Utility sales 13%Fees & charges 13%Interest, fines & other 7%Property taxes 7%From the state 3%Other taxes & licenses 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $58,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $767,000.
About “Other”.55% of Saguache’s day-to-day spending ($312,000) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places

$1,062 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Saguache’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,062 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–$1,753. Saguache spent more than 55% of them.

Middle half of the group, $624–$1,753Median $990Saguache

Includes sewer and trash ($39,000), 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
150

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

Over the years

No trend yet

Saguache reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $883 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Colorado$2,602
Saguache$883
$883
typical bill a year
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Saguache

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

Check Saguache’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Saguache yet.
Who works for Saguache

One full-time town employee for every 66 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (531).

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

Administration & buildings4
Other4
8
full-time
0
part-time
$45,100
payroll for March 2022
$541,200
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$67,700
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Saguache had 15.1 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 112 of the 150 Colorado cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 8.6: Saguache had more than 77% 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

Mountain Valley School District RE-1

Saguache’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Saguache →
$26,279
per pupil · CO $15,889
147
students
$2.9 million
long-term debt

Of the $26,279 per pupil, $12,633 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 41%State 51%Federal 8%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Saguache’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Saguache County’s results3,401 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat50.1%1,704 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican46.4%1,577 votes

Others: 3.5% (120 votes).

Most votes in Saguache County: Kamala D Harris

Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%

The county’s page

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

Saguache 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 Saguache

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Saguache.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Colorado HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Colorado SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Colorado

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

Reach Saguache’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Saguache’s government

How much does Saguache spend per resident?

About $1,062 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,062 was more than 55% of 150 Colorado cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

Who runs Saguache’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Saguache yet.

How did Saguache vote in 2024?

Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Saguache alone. Saguache County, where 100% of Saguache lies, voted Harris 50.1%, Trump 46.4% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Saguache?

8 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $45,100 (about $541,200 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Saguache 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 Saguache’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 →