Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0How is Silver Cliff run?
Silver Cliff’s town government spent $461,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $715 per resident.
What stands out about how Silver Cliff is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Custer County School District C-1
Silver Cliff’s K–12 school district, shared with Westcliffe. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,890 per pupil, $8,090 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.
About $715 per resident a year, or $1.96 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 50%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$753 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Silver Cliff’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($753 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 $998, and the middle half spent $624–$1,753. Silver Cliff spent less than 61% 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; Silver Cliff itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Silver Cliff 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: $753 · 2023: $715. Per resident it went from $753 to $715 (down 5%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 741 to 645.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $827 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.31% 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 Silver Cliff’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 Silver Cliff’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Silver Cliff →
Who’s in charge in Silver Cliff
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Silver Cliff’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on silvercliffco.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 161 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 (645).
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.
Silver Cliff’s votes are counted by county
Colorado reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Silver Cliff alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Custer County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.8%2,583 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.7%1,188 votesOthers: 2.5% (96 votes).
Most votes in Custer County: Donald J Trump
Colorado: Harris 54.1%, Trump 43.1%
100% of Silver Cliff lies in Custer County. Every 2024 race in Custer County is on the county’s page.
Custer 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 Silver Cliff.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: silvercliffco.com ↗
- 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.
How Silver Cliff compares with the towns next door
Silver Cliff spent $753 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $850. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Westcliffe | $850 | $1,218 |
| Silver Cliff | $753 | $827 |
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 Silver Cliff’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Silver Cliff’s government
How much does Silver Cliff spend per resident?
About $715 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 $753 was less than 61% of 150 Colorado cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Silver Cliff?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $827 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.31% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.48% across Colorado. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see silvercliffco.com.
Who runs Silver Cliff’s government?
See silvercliffco.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Silver Cliff yet.
How did Silver Cliff vote in 2024?
Colorado counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Silver Cliff alone. Custer County, where 100% of Silver Cliff lies, voted Trump 66.8%, Harris 30.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Silver Cliff?
4 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $21,624 (about $259,488 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Silver Cliff in the state legislature?
State Senate District 4 (Mark Baisley) and State House District 60 (Stephanie Luck). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Silver Cliff’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 →