Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Decatur run?
Decatur’s city government spent $7.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $1,013 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1 million) and the airport ($231,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Decatur is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,013 per resident a year, or $2.78 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 35%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,013 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Decatur’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,013 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 175 Texas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $880, and the middle half spent $630–$1,292. Decatur spent more than 59% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.1 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Texas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Decatur itself left out).
No trend yet
Decatur reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $3,645 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.28% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Decatur’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 Decatur’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Decatur →
Who’s in charge in Decatur
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Decatur’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on decaturtx.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 61 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 (7,572).
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.
Decatur Independent School District
Decatur’s K–12 school district, shared with New Fairview. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,826 per pupil, $6,909 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.
Texas districts overall: 51% local, 36% state, 13% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Decatur’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Decatur alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Wise County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican84.7%32,385 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat14.7%5,605 votesOthers: 0.7% (253 votes).
Most votes in Wise County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Decatur lies in Wise County. Every 2024 race in Wise County is on the county’s page.
Wise 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 Decatur.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: decaturtx.org ↗
- 2Texas HouseState representatives
- 3Texas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Decatur’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Decatur’s government
How much does Decatur spend per resident?
About $1,013 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 $1,013 was more than 59% of 175 Texas cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Decatur?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,645 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.28% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see decaturtx.org.
Who runs Decatur’s government?
See decaturtx.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Decatur yet.
How did Decatur vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Decatur alone. Wise County, where 100% of Decatur lies, voted Trump 84.7%, Harris 14.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Decatur?
124 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $627,637 (about $7.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Decatur in the state legislature?
State Senate District 12 (Tan Parker) and State House District 64 (Andy Hopper). The House district also covers 14 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Decatur’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 →