Photo: Wordbuilder · CC BY 3.0How is Santa Rosa run?
Santa Rosa’s city government spent $3.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $1,291 per resident. Water and other utilities ($407,000) and the airport ($94,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Santa Rosa is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,291 per resident a year, or $3.54 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,291 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Santa Rosa’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,291 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 46 New Mexico cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,474, and the middle half spent $848–$2,116. Santa Rosa spent less than 61% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($955,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Santa Rosa itself left out).
No trend yet
Santa Rosa reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, up from 44 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $448 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.40% 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 Santa Rosa’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.
Tax bills are one input to Santa Rosa’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Santa Rosa →
Who’s in charge in Santa Rosa
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Santa Rosa’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on santarosanm.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 50 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (2,625).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Santa Rosa Consolidated Schools
Santa Rosa’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $24,187 per pupil, $13,029 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.
Santa Rosa’s votes are counted by county
New Mexico reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Santa Rosa alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Guadalupe County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat50.0%959 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican49.3%945 votesOthers: 0.7% (14 votes).
Most votes in Guadalupe County: Kamala D Harris
New Mexico: Harris 51.9%, Trump 45.9%
100% of Santa Rosa lies in Guadalupe County. Every 2024 race in Guadalupe County is on the county’s page.
Guadalupe 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 Santa Rosa.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: santarosanm.org ↗
- 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 Santa Rosa’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Santa Rosa’s government
How much does Santa Rosa spend per resident?
About $1,291 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 $1,291 was less than 61% of 46 New Mexico cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Santa Rosa?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $448 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.40% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across New Mexico. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see santarosanm.org.
Who runs Santa Rosa’s government?
See santarosanm.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Santa Rosa yet.
How did Santa Rosa vote in 2024?
New Mexico counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Santa Rosa alone. Guadalupe County, where 100% of Santa Rosa lies, voted Harris 50.0%, Trump 49.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Santa Rosa?
52 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $222,778 (about $2.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Santa Rosa in the state legislature?
State Senate District 8 (Pete Campos) and State House District 63 (Martin Zamora). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Santa Rosa’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 →