Town Hall · Portales

Portales, NM town hall & government

Portales spent $20.2 million in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,687 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Portales's government.

Town budget · Census estimate

Where Portales's money goes

Spent
$20.2 million
fiscal year to June 30, 2024
Per resident
$1,687
typical New Mexico cities: $2,387
Long-term debt
$19.2 million
$1,607 per resident
Water & other utilities
$4.7 million23%
Roads & transportation
$3.5 million17%
Fire
$2.5 million12%
Administration & buildings
$2 million10%
Sewer & trash
$1.9 million9%
Police
$1.8 million9%
Parks & libraries
$914,0005%
Interest on debt
$598,0003%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$546,0003%
Health & welfare
$218,0001%
Other
$1.6 million8%

Where the money comes from

  • From the state 58%
  • Sales taxes 12%
  • Fees & charges 10%
  • Utility sales 9%
  • Interest, fines & other 5%
  • From the federal government 4%
  • Property taxes 1%
  • Other taxes & licenses <1%

Portales didn't report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau's estimates.

Town workforce

Who works for Portales

Full-time staff
110
no part-time staff
Average full-time pay
$45,800
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
26
and 22 full-time firefighters
Police
26 full-time
Fire
22 full-time
Parks & libraries
18 full-time
Water & other utilities
15 full-time
Sewer & trash
13 full-time
Roads & transportation
11 full-time
Health & welfare
1 full-time
Other
4 full-time

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2022. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Portales Municipal Schools

Portales's K–12 school district. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$17,577
New Mexico: $17,681
Students
2,571
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$13.7 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from New Mexico districts overall: 17% local, 64% state, 20% federal

  • Local 9%
  • State 70%
  • Federal 20%

Of the $17,577 per pupil, $10,447 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Property tax

What homeowners in Portales pay

Typical tax bill
$728
a year · New Mexico typical $1,731
Effective rate
0.55%
of home value · New Mexico 0.70%
Typical home value
$133,400
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Local

Contact Portales's government

🏛️ Official websiteportalesnm.org ↗

Town hall & decisions in Portales →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Portales

Portales is represented in Congress by Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján and Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez. Michelle Lujan Grisham is governor.

All of Portales's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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Portales

New Mexico · NM
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