Sun Valley spent more per resident in 2022 than 84% of similar cities
Sun Valley’s city government spent $75,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $938 per resident.
What stands out about how Sun Valley is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$938 per resident in 2022: more than 84% of them
Sun Valley’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($938 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. Sun Valley spent more than 84% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sun Valley itself left out).
About $938 per resident a year, or $2.57 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 11%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Sun Valley reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $199 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Sun Valley’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 Sun Valley’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sun Valley →
Who’s in charge in Sun Valley
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 80 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 (80).
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.
North Lamar Independent School District
Sun Valley’s K–12 school district, shared with Reno, Paris. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,686 per pupil, $7,573 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.
Prairiland Independent School District · $12,214 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Sun Valley’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sun Valley alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lamar County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican80.1%17,044 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat19.2%4,079 votesOthers: 0.8% (162 votes).
Most votes in Lamar County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Sun Valley lies in Lamar County. Every 2024 race in Lamar County is on the county’s page.
Lamar 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 Sun Valley.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Texas HouseState representativesDistrict 1
- 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 Sun Valley’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Sun Valley’s government
How much does Sun Valley spend per resident?
About $938 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $938 was more than 84% of 346 Texas cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Sun Valley’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sun Valley yet.
How did Sun Valley vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sun Valley alone. Lamar County, where 100% of Sun Valley lies, voted Trump 80.1%, Harris 19.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sun Valley?
1 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $2,126 (about $25,512 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sun Valley in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Bryan Hughes) and State House District 1. The House district also covers 34 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sun Valley’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 →