Photo: Ken Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Preston run?
Preston’s city government spent $0 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $0 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau.
What stands out about how Preston is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Preston Joint School District 201
Preston’s K–12 school district, shared with Franklin. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $8,824 per pupil, $5,531 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.
Idaho districts overall: 21% local, 67% state, 12% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
No comparison or trend for Preston yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Preston’s 2022 operating figures are mostly a Census estimate, so they aren’t compared. It reported 2022 only (2023 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 23 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $1,587 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.45% of the home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Preston’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 Preston’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Preston →
Who’s in charge in Preston
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Preston’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on prestonidaho.net ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 218 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (5,678).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Preston’s votes are counted by county
Idaho reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Preston alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Franklin County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican87.4%6,279 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat9.8%703 votesOthers: 2.8% (202 votes).
Most votes in Franklin County: Donald J Trump
Idaho: Trump 66.9%, Harris 30.4%
100% of Preston lies in Franklin County. Every 2024 race in Franklin County is on the county’s page.
Franklin 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 Preston.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: prestonidaho.net ↗
- 2Idaho HouseState representatives
- 3Idaho SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Idaho
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Preston’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Preston’s government
How much does Preston spend per resident?
About $0 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Preston?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,587 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.45% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see prestonidaho.net.
Who runs Preston’s government?
See prestonidaho.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Preston yet.
How did Preston vote in 2024?
Idaho counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Preston alone. Franklin County, where 100% of Preston lies, voted Trump 87.4%, Harris 9.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Preston?
26 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $125,514 (about $1.5M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Preston in the state legislature?
State Senate District 28 (Jim Guthrie) and State House District 28 (Dan Garner and Rick Cheatum). The House district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Preston’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 →