St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and Rectory · Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC0How is Taos run?
Taos’ city government spent $326,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $282 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Taos didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Taos is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $282 per resident a year, or $0.77 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 56%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Taos didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Taos yet
Every year of Taos’ figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,802 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.67% of the home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Taos’ 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 Taos’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Taos →
Who’s in charge in Taos
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Blair Oaks R-II School District
Taos’ K–12 school district, shared with St. Thomas, Wardsville. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,600 per pupil, $6,384 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.
Missouri districts overall: 54% local, 35% state, 11% federal.
Jefferson City Public Schools · $13,313 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Taos’ votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Taos alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cole County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.5%26,686 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.1%12,874 votesOthers: 1.5% (592 votes).
Most votes in Cole County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of Taos lies in Cole County. Every 2024 race in Cole County is on the county’s page.
Cole 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 Taos.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Missouri HouseState representatives
- 3Missouri SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Missouri
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Taos compares with the towns next door
Taos’ own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 0 of the 1 towns next door reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson City | estimate | $1,751 |
| Taos | estimate | $1,802 |
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 Taos’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Taos’ government
How much does Taos spend per resident?
About $282 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Taos didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $8 million.
What is the property tax rate in Taos?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,802 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.67% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Taos’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Taos yet.
How did Taos vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Taos alone. Cole County, where 100% of Taos lies, voted Trump 66.5%, Harris 32.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Taos?
0 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1,471 (about $17,652 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Taos in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Mike Bernskoetter) and State House District 59 (Rudy Veit). The House district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Taos’ 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 (for Taos, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →