Ozark Trails Marker at Lake Arthur · Photo: 25or6to4 · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Lake Arthur run?
Lake Arthur’s town government spent $555,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,315 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($103,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Lake Arthur is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $1,315 per resident a year, or $3.60 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 13%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,315 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Lake Arthur’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,315 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 28 New Mexico cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,528, and the middle half spent $804–$2,395. Lake Arthur spent less than 57% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($56,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
New Mexico cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Lake Arthur itself left out).
No trend yet
Lake Arthur reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2024 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $436 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.38% of the home’s value, vs 0.70% across New Mexico.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Lake Arthur’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 Lake Arthur’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lake Arthur →
Who’s in charge in Lake Arthur
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 141 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 (422).
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.
Lake Arthur Municipal Schools
Lake Arthur’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $27,540 per pupil, $15,705 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.
New Mexico districts overall: 17% local, 64% state, 20% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Lake Arthur’s votes are counted by county
New Mexico reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Lake Arthur alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Chaves County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican72.6%15,890 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.1%5,935 votesOthers: 0.3% (71 votes).
Most votes in Chaves County: Donald J Trump
New Mexico: Harris 51.9%, Trump 45.9%
100% of Lake Arthur lies in Chaves County. Every 2024 race in Chaves County is on the county’s page.
Chaves 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 Lake Arthur.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2New Mexico HouseState representatives
- 3New Mexico SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Mexico
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Lake Arthur’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Lake Arthur’s government
How much does Lake Arthur spend per resident?
About $1,315 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,315 was less than 57% of 28 New Mexico cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lake Arthur?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $436 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.38% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across New Mexico. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Lake Arthur’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lake Arthur yet.
How did Lake Arthur vote in 2024?
New Mexico counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Lake Arthur alone. Chaves County, where 100% of Lake Arthur lies, voted Trump 72.6%, Harris 27.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lake Arthur?
3 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $18,600 (about $223,200 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lake Arthur in the state legislature?
State Senate District 32 (Candy Ezzell) and State House District 58 (Angelita Mejia). The House district also covers three neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lake Arthur’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 →