Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Carter Lake run?
Carter Lake’s city government spent $4.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,261 per resident. Water and other utilities ($598,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Carter Lake is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,261 per resident a year, or $3.45 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,155 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Carter Lake’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,155 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 91 Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,177, and the middle half spent $1,027–$1,402. Carter Lake spent less than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($832,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Carter Lake itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 9% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Carter Lake reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,155 · 2023: $1,261.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,478 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.46% of the home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Carter Lake’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 Carter Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Carter Lake →
Who’s in charge in Carter Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Carter Lake’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofcarterlake.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 189 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (3,783).
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.
Council Bluffs Community School District
Carter Lake’s K–12 school district, shared with Crescent, Council Bluffs. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,997 per pupil, $9,553 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.
Iowa districts overall: 43% local, 49% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Carter Lake voted in 2024
Official results for Carter Lake’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican58.0%896 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat40.2%620 votesOthers: 1.8% (28 votes).
Most votes in Carter Lake: Donald J Trump
Pottawattamie County: Trump 59.3%, Harris 39.3% · Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%
of Carter Lake’s 2,674 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Iowa: 70%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in the district: Randy Feenstra
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Carter Lake, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter Lake | 58.0% | 40.2% | 1.8% | 1,544 |
| Pottawattamie County | 59.3% | 39.3% | 1.4% | 44,411 |
| Iowa | 55.7% | 42.5% | 1.8% | 1,663,506 |
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 Carter Lake.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofcarterlake.com ↗
- 2Iowa HouseState representatives
- 3Iowa SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Iowa
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Carter Lake compares with the towns next door
Carter Lake spent $1,155 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,632. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Council Bluffs | $1,632 | $3,063 |
| Carter Lake | $1,155 | $2,478 |
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 Carter Lake’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Carter Lake’s government
How much does Carter Lake spend per resident?
About $1,261 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,155 was less than 53% of 91 Iowa cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Carter Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,478 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.46% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.39% across Iowa. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofcarterlake.com.
Who runs Carter Lake’s government?
See cityofcarterlake.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Carter Lake yet.
How did Carter Lake vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 58.0%, Kamala D Harris 40.2% (1,544 votes, official results). Pottawattamie County: Trump 59.3%, Harris 39.3%. Iowa: Trump 55.7%, Harris 42.5%.
How many people work for Carter Lake?
20 full-time and 26 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $115,649 (about $1.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Carter Lake in the state legislature?
State Senate District 10 (Dan Dawson) and State House District 20 (Josh Turek). The House district also covers parts of 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Carter Lake’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 →