Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Elkhart

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Elkhart1 (1 of 1)Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Elkhart

Elkhart spent less per resident in 2022 than 95% of similar cities

Elkhart’s town government spent $23,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $18 per resident.

Election Day

Today

General election in Texas.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$23,000
year to September 30, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$18
In 2022: $18, less than 95% of 346 similar cities
Long-term debt
$1.7M
end of FY2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
10
full-time · 0 part-time · March payroll $36,678
Typical tax bill
$983
0.92% of home value · TX 1.49%

What stands out about how Elkhart is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$18 per resident in 2022: less than 95% of them

Elkhart’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($18 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 346 Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $433, and the middle half spent $185–$752. Elkhart spent less than 95% of them.

Middle half of the group, $185–$752Median $433Elkhart

Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
346

Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Elkhart itself left out).

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $18 per resident a year, or $0.05 a day

Day-to-day services only.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 88%Fees & charges 7%Utility sales 2%From other local governments 2%Sales taxes 1%Other taxes & licenses <1%Interest, fines & other <1%

Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Elkhart collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.

Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $66,000. With these, the whole budget was $89,000.
About “Other”.100% of Elkhart’s day-to-day spending ($23,000) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Over the years

No trend yet

Elkhart reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $983 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.92% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Texas$4,232
Elkhart$983
$983
typical bill a year
0.92%
effective rate
$107,300
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Elkhart’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 Elkhart’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Elkhart →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Elkhart

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

Check Elkhart’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Elkhart yet.
Who works for Elkhart

One full-time town employee for every 128 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 (1,277).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Water & other utilities5
Administration & buildings4
Courts, inspections & corrections1
10
full-time
0
part-time
$36,678
payroll for March 2022
$440,136
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$44,000
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Elkhart had 7.8 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 295 of the 346 Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 6.1: Elkhart had more than 63% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Elkhart Independent School District

Elkhart’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Elkhart →
$12,999
per pupil · TX $12,815
1,197
students
$10.9 million
long-term debt

Of the $12,999 per pupil, $8,175 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 25%State 65%Federal 10%

Texas districts overall: 51% local, 36% state, 13% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Elkhart’s votes are counted by county

Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Elkhart alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Anderson County’s results.

President · Anderson County’s results19,381 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican80.5%15,597 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat18.8%3,635 votes

Others: 0.8% (149 votes).

Most votes in Anderson County: Donald J Trump

Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%

The county’s page

100% of Elkhart lies in Anderson County. Every 2024 race in Anderson County is on the county’s page.

Anderson County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Elkhart

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Elkhart.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Texas HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Texas SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Elkhart’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Elkhart’s government

How much does Elkhart spend per resident?

About $18 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 $18 was less than 95% of 346 Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Elkhart?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $983 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.92% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.

Who runs Elkhart’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Elkhart yet.

How did Elkhart vote in 2024?

Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Elkhart alone. Anderson County, where 100% of Elkhart lies, voted Trump 80.5%, Harris 18.8% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Elkhart?

10 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $36,678 (about $440,136 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Elkhart in the state legislature?

State Senate District 3 (Robert Nichols) and State House District 8 (Cody Harris). The House district also covers 38 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Elkhart’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →