Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Spirit Lake spent less per resident in 2022 than 93% of similar cities
Spirit Lake’s city government spent $1.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $586 per resident. Water and other utilities ($395,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Spirit Lake is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$586 per resident in 2022: less than 93% of them
Spirit Lake’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($586 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 15 Idaho cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $747, and the middle half spent $706–$858. Spirit Lake spent less than 93% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($274,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Idaho cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Spirit Lake itself left out).
About $586 per resident a year, or $1.61 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 44%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Spirit Lake reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, down from 19 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $2,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.46% 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 Spirit 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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Spirit Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Spirit Lake →
Who’s in charge in Spirit Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Spirit Lake’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on spiritlakeid.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 197 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 (2,559).
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.
Lakeland Joint School District 272
Spirit Lake’s K–12 school district, shared with Athol, Hauser, Rathdrum, Hayden. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,375 per pupil, $7,634 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.
Spirit Lake’s votes are counted by county
Idaho reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Spirit Lake alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Kootenai County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican74.8%72,059 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat22.9%22,113 votesOthers: 2.3% (2,193 votes).
Most votes in Kootenai County: Donald J Trump
Idaho: Trump 66.9%, Harris 30.4%
100% of Spirit Lake lies in Kootenai County. Every 2024 race in Kootenai County is on the county’s page.
Kootenai 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 Spirit Lake.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: spiritlakeid.gov ↗
- 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 Spirit Lake’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Spirit Lake’s government
How much does Spirit Lake spend per resident?
About $586 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $586 was less than 93% of 15 Idaho cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Spirit Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,000 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.46% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see spiritlakeid.gov.
Who runs Spirit Lake’s government?
See spiritlakeid.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Spirit Lake yet.
How did Spirit Lake vote in 2024?
Idaho counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Spirit Lake alone. Kootenai County, where 100% of Spirit Lake lies, voted Trump 74.8%, Harris 22.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Spirit Lake?
13 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $77,837 (about $934,044 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Spirit Lake in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Phil Hart) and State House District 2 (Dale Hawkins and Heather Scott). The House district also covers 16 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Spirit 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 →