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Stephen Decatur Lawrence FarmsteadStephen Decatur Lawrence Farmstead · Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Mesquite

How is Mesquite run?

Mesquite’s city government spent $174.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, about $1,179 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($35.4 million) and the airport ($2.6 million) are counted separately.

Election Day

Today

General election in Texas.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$174.1M
year to September 30, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$1,179
2022 was an estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$405.5M
end of FY2023, reported
City staff, 2025
1,195
full-time · 263 part-time · March payroll $9.3M · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$3,859
1.57% of home value · TX 1.49%

What stands out about how Mesquite is run

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

Runs its own water & sewer29% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2023).Agendas posted onlineMeetings, agendas and minutes from the city’s own portal.A shared school districtShares Mesquite Independent School District with 1 other town.Split between districts3 State House and 2 U.S. House districts cover Mesquite; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Your share of the 2023 budget

About $1,179 per resident a year, or $3.23 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 26%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 24%Property taxes 23%Sales taxes 22%Utility sales 15%From the federal government 6%Interest, fines & other 4%From the state 3%Other taxes & licenses 2%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $62.1 million; interest on debt $12.8 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $287 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Mesquite yet

The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Mesquite’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2023 only (2022 and 2024 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
City staff
1,195

full-time in March 2025, up from 1,088 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,859 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.57% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Sunnyvale$8,926
Heartland$7,601
Dallas$5,075
Garland$4,263
Texas$4,232
Mesquite$3,859
Seagoville$3,398
Balch Springs$3,233
$3,859
typical bill a year
1.57%
effective rate
$245,700
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Meetings

Recent meetings

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

No upcoming meetings are posted yet.

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 Mesquite

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

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

One full-time city employee for every 124 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (147,691).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police342 + 12 pt
Fire233
Parks & libraries114 + 198 pt
Administration & buildings125 + 12 pt
Sewer & trash93 + 3 pt
Roads & transportation70 + 9 pt
Water & other utilities68 + 1 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections23 + 24 pt
Health & welfare32 + 3 pt
Housing & development23 + 1 pt
Other72
1,195
full-time
263
part-time
$9.3M
payroll for March 2025
$111.4M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$89,400
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
274
sworn police officers
227
full-time firefighters
Estimates.Mesquite didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

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

Mesquite Independent School District

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

Schools in Mesquite →
$13,064
per pupil · TX $12,815
38,265
students
$655.3 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,064 per pupil, $7,826 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 28%State 57%Federal 15%

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

Also serving Mesquite

Forney Independent School District · $11,593 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Mesquite’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Dallas County’s results853,336 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat59.9%511,027 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican37.8%322,468 votes

Others: 2.3% (19,841 votes).

Most votes in Dallas County: Kamala D Harris

Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%

The county’s page

100% of Mesquite lies in Dallas County; the rest in Kaufman County. Every 2024 race in Dallas County is on the county’s page.

Dallas 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 Mesquite

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Mesquite.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Texas HouseMesquite is split between 3 districts
    Rhetta BowersLinda GarciaKeith Bell
  3. 3
    Texas SenateState senator
    Nathan JohnsonBob HallRoyce West
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Greg Abbott
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseSplit between districts
    Lance GoodenJulie Johnson
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
    John CornynTed Cruz
Find your state legislators by address ↗Find your House district by ZIP code ↗

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

Next door

How Mesquite compares with the towns next door

Mesquite’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,088 to $1,585 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.

Dallas: $1,585 per resident (2022)Balch Springs: no reported 2022 figuresGarland: $1,088 per resident (2022)Sunnyvale: $1,582 per resident (2022)Seagoville: no reported 2022 figuresHeartland: unincorporated, no town budgetDallasBalch SpringsGarlandSunnyvaleSeagovilleHeartlandMesquite
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Garland$1,088$4,263
Sunnyvale$1,582$8,926
Dallas$1,585$5,075
Balch Springsestimate$3,233
Seagovilleestimate$3,398
Mesquiteestimate$3,859

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 Mesquite’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Mesquite’s government

How much does Mesquite spend per resident?

About $1,179 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau.

What is the property tax rate in Mesquite?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,859 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.57% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.

Who runs Mesquite’s government?

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

How did Mesquite vote in 2024?

Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mesquite alone. Dallas County, where 100% of Mesquite lies, voted Harris 59.9%, Trump 37.8% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Mesquite?

1,195 full-time and 263 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $9.3M (about $111.4M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Mesquite in the state legislature?

Mesquite is split among 3 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Texas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Mesquite’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 →