Photo: Hussain Sekha · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Halfway run?
Halfway’s city government spent $156,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $427 per resident. Water and other utilities ($98,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Halfway is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $427 per resident a year, or $1.17 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$835 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Halfway’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($835 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 92 Oregon cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $694, and the middle half spent $446–$966. Halfway spent more than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($67,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Oregon cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Halfway itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 37% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Halfway 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: $835 · 2024: $427. Per resident it went from $835 to $427 (down 49%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 297 to 365.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,043 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.83% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Halfway’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 Halfway’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Halfway →
Who’s in charge in Halfway
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 91 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (365).
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.
Pine-Eagle School District 61
Halfway’s K–12 school district, shared with Richland. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $23,370 per pupil, $12,594 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.
Oregon districts overall: 38% local, 52% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Halfway’s votes are counted by county
Oregon reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Halfway alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Baker County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican72.8%7,060 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.2%2,343 votesOthers: 3.0% (291 votes).
Most votes in Baker County: Donald J Trump
Oregon: Harris 55.3%, Trump 41.0%
100% of Halfway lies in Baker County. Every 2024 race in Baker County is on the county’s page.
Baker 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 Halfway.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Oregon HouseState representatives
- 3Oregon SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Oregon
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Halfway’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Halfway’s government
How much does Halfway spend per resident?
About $427 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $835 was more than 63% of 92 Oregon cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Halfway?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,043 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.83% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Halfway’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Halfway yet.
How did Halfway vote in 2024?
Oregon counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Halfway alone. Baker County, where 100% of Halfway lies, voted Trump 72.8%, Harris 24.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Halfway?
4 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $14,828 (about $177,936 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Halfway in the state legislature?
State Senate District 30 (Mike McLane) and State House District 60 (Mark Owens). The House district also covers 24 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Halfway’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 →