Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 3.0Zap spent more per resident in 2022 than 71% of similar cities
Zap’s city government spent $268,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,202 per resident. Water and other utilities ($64,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Zap is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$958 per resident in 2022: more than 71% of them
Zap’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($958 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 157 North Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $730, and the middle half spent $500–$1,012. Zap spent more than 71% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($55,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
North Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Zap itself left out).
About $1,202 per resident a year, or $3.29 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 36%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 29% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Zap 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: $958 · 2023: $1,202.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,792 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.96% 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 Zap’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 Zap’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Zap →
Who’s in charge in Zap
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Zap’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on wrtc.com/zapnd ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 223 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (223).
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.
Beulah Public School District 27
Zap’s K–12 school district, shared with Beulah, Dodge, Golden Valley. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,632 per pupil, $7,280 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.
Zap’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 Zap alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Mercer County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican83.4%3,798 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat14.8%672 votesOthers: 1.9% (85 votes).
Most votes in Mercer County: Donald J Trump
North Dakota: Trump 67.0%, Harris 30.5%
100% of Zap lies in Mercer County. Every 2024 race in Mercer County is on the county’s page.
Mercer 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 Zap.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: wrtc.com/zapnd ↗
- 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 Zap’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Zap’s government
How much does Zap spend per resident?
About $1,202 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $958 was more than 71% of 157 North Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Zap?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,792 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.96% 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/zapnd.
Who runs Zap’s government?
See wrtc.com/zapnd for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Zap yet.
How did Zap vote in 2024?
North Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Zap alone. Mercer County, where 100% of Zap lies, voted Trump 83.4%, Harris 14.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Zap?
1 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $5,721 (about $68,652 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Zap in the state legislature?
State Senate District 33 (Keith Boehm) and State House District 33 (Anna Novak and Bill Tveit). The House district also covers 12 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Zap’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 →