Photo: Nicolas Henderson from Coppell, Texas · CC BY 2.0How is Port Lavaca run?
Port Lavaca’s city government spent $10.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $963 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Port Lavaca is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
About $963 per resident a year, or $2.64 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Port Lavaca yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Port Lavaca’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,908 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.49% 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 Port Lavaca’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 Port Lavaca’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Port Lavaca →
Recent meetings
From Port Lavaca’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
- Oct8City Council RegularThursday · 6:00 pmOne Time EventMeeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗Who’s in charge in Port Lavaca
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 122 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (11,262).
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.
Calhoun County Independent School District
Port Lavaca’s K–12 school district, shared with Point Comfort, Seadrift. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,752 per pupil, $7,742 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.
Port Lavaca’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Port Lavaca alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Calhoun County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican75.7%5,939 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat23.6%1,853 votesOthers: 0.6% (49 votes).
Most votes in Calhoun County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Port Lavaca lies in Calhoun County. Every 2024 race in Calhoun County is on the county’s page.
Calhoun 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 Port Lavaca.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: portlavaca.org ↗
- 2Texas HouseState representatives
- 3Texas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Port Lavaca’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Port Lavaca’s government
How much does Port Lavaca spend per resident?
About $963 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Port Lavaca?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,908 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.49% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see portlavaca.org.
Who runs Port Lavaca’s government?
See portlavaca.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Port Lavaca yet.
How did Port Lavaca vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Port Lavaca alone. Calhoun County, where 100% of Port Lavaca lies, voted Trump 75.7%, Harris 23.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Port Lavaca?
92 full-time and 23 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $421,256 (about $5.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Port Lavaca in the state legislature?
State Senate District 18 (Lois Kolkhorst) and State House District 43 (J.M. Lozano). The House district also covers 25 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Port Lavaca’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 →