Three Forks of the Missouri · Photo: Mike Cline · Public domainHow is Three Forks run?
Three Forks’ city government spent $1.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $819 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Three Forks didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Three Forks is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $819 per resident a year, or $2.24 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Three Forks didn’t report all of its 2023 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Three Forks yet
Every year of Three Forks’ figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2023. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $2,243 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.57% of the home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Three Forks’ 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 Three Forks’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Three Forks →
Who’s in charge in Three Forks
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Three Forks’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on threeforksmontana.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 166 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 (1,991).
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.
Three Forks High School District
Three Forks’ high school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,502 per pupil, $8,149 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.
Montana districts overall: 44% local, 39% state, 17% federal.
Three Forks Elementary School District · $11,277 per pupil
Willow Creek Elementary School District · $16,435 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Three Forks’ votes are counted by county
Montana reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Three Forks alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Gallatin County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat50.0%34,938 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican46.8%32,695 votesOthers: 3.2% (2,264 votes).
Most votes in Gallatin County: Kamala D Harris
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of Three Forks lies in Gallatin County. Every 2024 race in Gallatin County is on the county’s page.
Gallatin 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 Three Forks.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: threeforksmontana.us ↗
- 2Montana HouseState representatives
- 3Montana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Montana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Three Forks’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Three Forks’ government
How much does Three Forks spend per resident?
About $819 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, a Census Bureau estimate (Three Forks didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $2.4 million.
What is the property tax rate in Three Forks?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,243 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.57% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see threeforksmontana.us.
Who runs Three Forks’ government?
See threeforksmontana.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Three Forks yet.
How did Three Forks vote in 2024?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Three Forks alone. Gallatin County, where 100% of Three Forks lies, voted Harris 50.0%, Trump 46.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Three Forks?
12 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $42,021 (about $504,252 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Three Forks in the state legislature?
State Senate District 35 (Tony Tezak) and State House District 69 (Ken Walsh). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Three Forks’ 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 (for Three Forks, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →