Photo: In memoriam afiler · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Turtle Lake run?
Turtle Lake’s city government spent $379,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $693 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Turtle Lake didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Turtle Lake is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $693 per resident a year, or $1.90 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 14%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Turtle Lake didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Turtle Lake yet
Every year of Turtle Lake’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 1 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
The typical homeowner pays $1,022 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.85% of the home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Turtle 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 Turtle Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Turtle Lake →
Who’s in charge in Turtle Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Turtle Lake’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on wrtc.com/citytl ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 182 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (547).
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.
Turtle Lake-Mercer Public School District 72
Turtle Lake’s K–12 school district, shared with Horseshoe Valley Township, Lake Williams Township, Medicine Hill Township, Mercer, Mercer Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,125 per pupil, $8,958 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.
North Dakota districts overall: 40% local, 46% state, 14% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Turtle Lake’s votes are counted by county
North Dakota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Turtle Lake alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are McLean County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican78.0%4,231 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat20.2%1,093 votesOthers: 1.8% (97 votes).
Most votes in McLean County: Donald J Trump
North Dakota: Trump 67.0%, Harris 30.5%
100% of Turtle Lake lies in McLean County. Every 2024 race in McLean County is on the county’s page.
McLean 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 Turtle Lake.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: wrtc.com/citytl ↗
- 2North Dakota HouseState representatives
- 3North Dakota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of North Dakota
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Turtle Lake’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Turtle Lake’s government
How much does Turtle Lake spend per resident?
About $693 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Turtle Lake didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $562,000.
What is the property tax rate in Turtle Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,022 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.85% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see wrtc.com/citytl.
Who runs Turtle Lake’s government?
See wrtc.com/citytl for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Turtle Lake yet.
How did Turtle Lake vote in 2024?
North Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Turtle Lake alone. McLean County, where 100% of Turtle Lake lies, voted Trump 78.0%, Harris 20.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Turtle Lake?
3 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $32,319 (about $387,828 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Turtle Lake in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Paul Thomas) and State House District 6 (Dan Vollmer and Dick Anderson). The House district also covers 170 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Turtle 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 (for Turtle Lake, 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 →