Photo: Flickr user Afiler · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Melba run?
Melba’s city government spent $312,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $564 per resident. Water and other utilities ($92,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Melba is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $564 per resident a year, or $1.55 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 44%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$564 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Melba’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($564 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 85 Idaho cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $558, and the middle half spent $299–$814. Melba spent more than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($136,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Idaho cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Melba itself left out).
No trend yet
Melba reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,402 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.47% of the home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Melba’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 Melba’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Melba →
Who’s in charge in Melba
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Melba’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofmelba.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 277 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 (553).
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.
Melba Joint School District 136
Melba’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,372 per pupil, $5,681 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.
Idaho districts overall: 21% local, 67% state, 12% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Melba’s votes are counted by county
Idaho reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Melba alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Canyon County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican72.0%72,755 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat25.4%25,669 votesOthers: 2.6% (2,606 votes).
Most votes in Canyon County: Donald J Trump
Idaho: Trump 66.9%, Harris 30.4%
100% of Melba lies in Canyon County. Every 2024 race in Canyon County is on the county’s page.
Canyon 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 Melba.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofmelba.org ↗
- 2Idaho HouseState representatives
- 3Idaho SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Idaho
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Melba’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Melba’s government
How much does Melba spend per resident?
About $564 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $564 was more than 52% of 85 Idaho cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Melba?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,402 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.47% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofmelba.org.
Who runs Melba’s government?
See cityofmelba.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Melba yet.
How did Melba vote in 2024?
Idaho counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Melba alone. Canyon County, where 100% of Melba lies, voted Trump 72.0%, Harris 25.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Melba?
2 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $13,199 (about $158,388 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Melba in the state legislature?
State Senate District 23 (Todd Lakey) and State House District 23 (Chris Bruce and Shawn Dygert). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Melba’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 →