Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Mason

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
Mason County CourthousePhoto: GeoffreyLong · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Mason

Mason spent more per resident in 2022 than 83% of similar cities

Mason’s city government spent $2.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to October 31, 2022, about $924 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.6 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Texas.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$2.2M
year to October 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$924
In 2022: $924, more than 83% of 346 similar cities
Long-term debt
$2.5M
end of FY2022, reported
City staff, 2022
31
full-time · 6 part-time · March payroll $111,642
Typical tax bill
$1,943
0.75% of home value · TX 1.49%

What stands out about how Mason is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$924 per resident in 2022: more than 83% of them

Mason’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($924 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 $428, and the middle half spent $184–$750. Mason spent more than 83% of them.

Middle half of the group, $184–$750Median $428Mason

Includes sewer and trash ($443,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

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; Mason itself left out).

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $924 per resident a year, or $2.53 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 31%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 68%Fees & charges 17%Sales taxes 8%Property taxes 5%From other local governments 2%From the state <1%
Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $106,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $3.9 million.
Over the years

No trend yet

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

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,943 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.75% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Texas$4,232
Mason$1,943
$1,943
typical bill a year
0.75%
effective rate
$259,800
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Mason

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

See mason.tx.citygovt.org for Mason’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Mason yet.mason.tx.citygovt.org ↗
Agendas

Mason’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on mason.tx.citygovt.org ↗.

Who works for Mason

One full-time city employee for every 76 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 (2,347).

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

Sewer & trash9
Administration & buildings5 + 4 pt
Water & other utilities7
Roads & transportation4
Health & welfare2
Parks & libraries1 + 1 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 1 pt
Other3
31
full-time
6
part-time
$111,642
payroll for March 2022
$1.3M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$42,300
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Mason had 13.2 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: Mason had more than 89% 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

Mason Independent School District

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

Schools in Mason →
$14,782
per pupil · TX $12,815
705
students
$2.2 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,782 per pupil, $8,511 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 57%State 36%Federal 8%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Mason’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Mason County’s results2,529 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican82.1%2,076 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat17.2%434 votes

Others: 0.8% (19 votes).

Most votes in Mason County: Donald J Trump

Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%

The county’s page

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

Mason 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 Mason

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Mason.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  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 Mason’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Mason’s government

How much does Mason spend per resident?

About $924 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to October 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $924 was more than 83% of 346 Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Mason?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,943 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.75% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see mason.tx.citygovt.org.

Who runs Mason’s government?

See mason.tx.citygovt.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Mason yet.

How did Mason vote in 2024?

Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mason alone. Mason County, where 100% of Mason lies, voted Trump 82.1%, Harris 17.2% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Mason?

31 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $111,642 (about $1.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Mason in the state legislature?

State Senate District 28 (Charles Perry) and State House District 53 (Wes Virdell). The House district also covers 26 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Mason’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 →