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Town Hall · San Benito

How is San Benito run?

San Benito’s city government spent $19.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $828 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: San Benito didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Next public meeting

City Commission

5:30 pm · San Benito Municipal Building, Cesar Gonzalez Meeting Hall, 401 North Sam Houston Boulevard, San Benito, Texas 78586

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$19.9M
year to September 30, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$828
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$34.3M
end of FY2022 · Census estimate
City staff, 2022
192
full-time · 4 part-time · March payroll $673,059
Typical tax bill
$1,286
1.51% of home value · TX 1.49%

What stands out about how San Benito is run

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

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer57% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (a Census estimate).A shared school districtShares San Benito Consolidated Independent School District with 1 other town.Split between districts2 State House districts cover San Benito; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

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

  • Nov17
    City CommissionTuesday · 5:30 pm · San Benito Municipal Building, Cesar Gonzalez Meeting Hall, 401 North Sam Houston Boulevard, San Benito, Texas 78586Regular City Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
  • Dec1
    City CommissionTuesday · 5:30 pm · San Benito Municipal Building, Cesar Gonzalez Meeting Hall, 401 North Sam Houston Boulevard, San Benito, Texas 78586Regular City Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
  • Dec15
    City CommissionTuesday · 5:30 pm · San Benito Municipal Building, Cesar Gonzalez Meeting Hall, 401 North Sam Houston Boulevard, San Benito, Texas 78586Regular City Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
  • Jan5
    City CommissionTuesday · 5:30 pm · San Benito Municipal Building, Cesar Gonzalez Meeting Hall, 401 North Sam Houston Boulevard, San Benito, Texas 78586Regular City Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
  • Jan19
    City CommissionTuesday · 5:30 pm · San Benito Municipal Building, Cesar Gonzalez Meeting Hall, 401 North Sam Houston Boulevard, San Benito, Texas 78586Regular City Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
  • Feb2
    City CommissionTuesday · 5:30 pm · San Benito Municipal Building, Cesar Gonzalez Meeting Hall, 401 North Sam Houston Boulevard, San Benito, Texas 78586Regular City Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar

Recent meetings

  • Nov3
    City CommissionTuesday · 5:30 pm · San Benito Municipal Building, Cesar Gonzalez Meeting Hall, 401 North Sam Houston Boulevard, San Benito, Texas 78586Regular City Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗
  • Oct20
    City CommissionTuesday · 5:30 pm · San Benito Municipal Building, Cesar Gonzalez Meeting Hall, 401 North Sam Houston Boulevard, San Benito, Texas 78586November 18, 2025 Regular City Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗
  • Oct6
    City CommissionTuesday · 5:30 pm · San Benito Municipal Building, Cesar Gonzalez Meeting Hall, 401 North Sam Houston Boulevard, San Benito, Texas 78586November 4, 2025 Regular City Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗
  • Sep15
    City CommissionTuesday · 5:30 pm · San Benito Municipal Building, Cesar Gonzalez Meeting Hall, 401 North Sam Houston Boulevard, San Benito, Texas 78586October 21, 2025 City of San Benito Regular City Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗
  • Sep15
    City CommissionTuesday · 5:30 pm · San Benito Municipal Building, Cesar Gonzalez Meeting Hall, 401 North Sam Houston Boulevard, San Benito, Texas 78586November 18, 2025 Regular City Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗
Go in person

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

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2022 budget

About $828 per resident a year, or $2.27 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 44%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 27%Property taxes 20%Sales taxes 20%From the state 16%Utility sales 14%From other local governments 1%Interest, fines & other 1%From the federal government 1%Other taxes & licenses <1%
An estimate

San Benito 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.Interest on debt $1.9 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $27.7 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for San Benito yet

Every year of San Benito’s 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 $1,286 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.51% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Texas$4,232
Brownsville$2,349
Harlingen$2,059
La Paloma$1,476
San Benito$1,286
$1,286
typical bill a year
1.51%
effective rate
$85,300
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in San Benito

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

See cityofsanbenito.com for San Benito’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for San Benito yet.cityofsanbenito.com ↗
Who works for San Benito

One full-time city employee for every 125 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 (24,085).

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

Police51
Parks & libraries32 + 3 pt
Fire28 + 1 pt
Water & other utilities23
Roads & transportation15
Administration & buildings12
Sewer & trash6
Courts, inspections & corrections3
Housing & development2
Other20
192
full-time
4
part-time
$673,059
payroll for March 2022
$8.1M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$41,900
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
43
sworn police officers
28
full-time firefighters
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and San Benito’s 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

San Benito Consolidated Independent School District

San Benito’s K–12 school district, shared with Los Indios. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in San Benito →
$13,967
per pupil · TX $12,815
9,126
students
$78.2 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,967 per pupil, $7,723 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 14%State 64%Federal 22%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

San Benito’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Cameron County’s results116,309 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican52.4%60,991 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat46.6%54,258 votes

Others: 0.9% (1,060 votes).

Most votes in Cameron County: Donald J Trump

Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%

The county’s page

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

Cameron 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 San Benito

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for San Benito.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityofsanbenito.com ↗
  2. 2
    Texas HouseSan Benito is split between 2 districts
    Oscar LongoriaJanie Lopez
  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
Find your state legislators by address ↗

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

Next door

How San Benito compares with the towns next door

San Benito’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 2 of the 2 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $854 to $1,230 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.

Harlingen: $1,230 per resident (2022)El Camino Angosto: unincorporated, no town budgetBrownsville: $854 per resident (2022)La Paloma: unincorporated, no town budgetHarlingenEl Camino AngostoBrownsvilleLa PalomaSan Benito
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Brownsville$854$2,349
Harlingen$1,230$2,059
San Benitoestimate$1,286

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 San Benito’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websitecityofsanbenito.com ↗

Questions about San Benito’s government

How much does San Benito spend per resident?

About $828 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (San Benito didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $27.7 million.

What is the property tax rate in San Benito?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,286 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.51% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofsanbenito.com.

Who runs San Benito’s government?

See cityofsanbenito.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for San Benito yet.

How did San Benito vote in 2024?

Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for San Benito alone. Cameron County, where 100% of San Benito lies, voted Trump 52.4%, Harris 46.6% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for San Benito?

192 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $673,059 (about $8.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents San Benito in the state legislature?

San Benito is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Texas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 27 (Adam Hinojosa). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in San Benito?

The next posted meeting is City Commission on Tuesday, November 17, at 5:30 pm in San Benito Municipal Building, Cesar Gonzalez Meeting Hall, 401 North Sam Houston Boulevard, San Benito, Texas 78586, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about San Benito’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 (for San Benito, 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 →