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Mercedes historic downtownPhoto: Akissforme · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Mercedes

Mercedes runs its own hospital

Mercedes’ city government spent $20 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $1,204 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Mercedes didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Next public meeting

City Commission

6:30 pm · Commission Chamber, 400 S. Ohio Ave.

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$20.0M
year to September 30, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$1,204
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$22.9M
end of FY2022 · Census estimate
City staff, 2022
121
full-time, hospital & welfare staff apart (122 in all) · March payroll $477,515
Typical tax bill
$1,920
1.72% of home value · TX 1.49%

What stands out about how Mercedes is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Runs a hospital$246,000 for a hospital the city runs in 2022, shown apart from day-to-day spending.Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer28% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (a Census estimate).Its own police and fire33 sworn officers and 20 full-time firefighters on the payroll.
★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,204 per resident a year, or $3.30 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 42%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 40%Property taxes 19%Fees & charges 19%Utility sales 13%From the federal government 5%Other taxes & licenses 2%From the state 1%From other local governments <1%Interest, fines & other <1%
An estimate

Mercedes didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $206,000; interest on debt $1 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $23.2 million.
Why the hospital is apart.The Census Bureau counts the hospital it runs in the city’s books ($246,000, 1% of all operations). Only 135 of the 11,301 towns and cities of 2,500+ run one (Census finance files), so it is shown here and left out of every per-resident comparison.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Mercedes yet

Every year of Mercedes’ figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,920 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.72% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Texas$4,232
Weslaco$2,378
Mercedes$1,920
$1,920
typical bill a year
1.72%
effective rate
$111,800
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Mercedes’ own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Mercedes

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

See mercedes-benz.com.vn for Mercedes’ current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Mercedes yet.mercedes-benz.com.vn ↗
Who works for Mercedes

One full-time city employee for every 137 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff

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 (16,598).

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

Police41
Administration & buildings26 + 13 pt
Fire20
Parks & libraries13 + 4 pt
Sewer & trash15
Water & other utilities2
Courts, inspections & corrections1
Other3
Run separately
Hospital, health & welfare1 + 0 pt
121
full-time, hospital, health & welfare apart
17
part-time
$477,515
payroll for March 2022
$5.7M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$45,700
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
33
sworn police officers
20
full-time firefighters
The hospital.The 1 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff include the hospital the city runs, so they are counted apart, as the hospitals are in the budget. The payroll figures cover every employee, the hospital’s included: the Census file doesn’t split pay by function.
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Mercedes’ 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

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

Mercedes Independent School District

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

Schools in Mercedes →
$14,728
per pupil · TX $12,815
4,393
students
$33.7 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,728 per pupil, $7,822 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 13%State 65%Federal 22%

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

Also serving Mercedes

Weslaco Independent School District · $12,596 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Mercedes’ votes are counted by county

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

President · Hidalgo County’s results217,265 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican51.0%110,760 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat48.1%104,517 votes

Others: 0.9% (1,988 votes).

Most votes in Hidalgo County: Donald J Trump

Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%

The county’s page

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

Hidalgo 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 Mercedes

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Mercedes.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: mercedes-benz.com.vn ↗
  2. 2
    Texas HouseState representatives
    Mando Martinez
  3. 3
    Texas SenateState senator
    Adam Hinojosa
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Greg Abbott
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Vicente Gonzalez
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
    John CornynTed Cruz

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

Next door

How Mercedes compares with the towns next door

Mercedes’ own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 1 of the 1 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $825 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.

Heidelberg: unincorporated, no town budgetWeslaco: $825 per resident (2022)HeidelbergWeslacoMercedes
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Weslaco$825$2,378
Mercedesestimate$1,920

Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).

Reach Mercedes’ government

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

The Handbook →
Official websitemercedes-benz.com.vn ↗

Questions about Mercedes’ government

How much does Mercedes spend per resident?

About $1,204 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Mercedes didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $23.2 million.

What is the property tax rate in Mercedes?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,920 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.72% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see mercedes-benz.com.vn.

Who runs Mercedes’ government?

See mercedes-benz.com.vn for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Mercedes yet.

How did Mercedes vote in 2024?

Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mercedes alone. Hidalgo County, where 100% of Mercedes lies, voted Trump 51.0%, Harris 48.1% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Mercedes?

121 full-time and 17 part-time employees in March 2022 (plus 1 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $477,515 (about $5.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Mercedes in the state legislature?

State Senate District 27 (Adam Hinojosa) and State House District 39 (Mando Martinez). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Mercedes?

The next posted meeting is City Commission on Tuesday, November 17, at 6:30 pm in Commission Chamber, 400 S. Ohio Ave., from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Mercedes’ 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 (for Mercedes, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →