Photo: Drown Soda · CC BY-SA 4.0How is La Grande run?
La Grande’s city government spent $14.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,118 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how La Grande is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,118 per resident a year, or $3.06 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,003 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
La Grande’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,003 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 21 Oregon cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $991, and the middle half spent $893–$1,185. La Grande spent more than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.1 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Oregon cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; La Grande itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 9% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years La Grande 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: $1,003 · 2023: $1,118.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,863 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.03% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at La Grande’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 La Grande’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in La Grande →
Who’s in charge in La Grande
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
La Grande’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.la-grande.or.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 120 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 (13,158).
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.
La Grande School District 1
La Grande’s K–12 school district, shared with Island City. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,573 per pupil, $9,119 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.
Oregon districts overall: 38% local, 52% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
La Grande’s votes are counted by county
Oregon reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for La Grande alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Union County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican68.2%9,942 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.2%4,107 votesOthers: 3.6% (525 votes).
Most votes in Union County: Donald J Trump
Oregon: Harris 55.3%, Trump 41.0%
100% of La Grande lies in Union County. Every 2024 race in Union County is on the county’s page.
Union 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 La Grande.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.la-grande.or.us ↗
- 2Oregon HouseState representatives
- 3Oregon SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Oregon
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach La Grande’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about La Grande’s government
How much does La Grande spend per resident?
About $1,118 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,003 was more than 62% of 21 Oregon cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in La Grande?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,863 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.03% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.la-grande.or.us.
Who runs La Grande’s government?
See ci.la-grande.or.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for La Grande yet.
How did La Grande vote in 2024?
Oregon counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for La Grande alone. Union County, where 100% of La Grande lies, voted Trump 68.2%, Harris 28.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for La Grande?
110 full-time and 36 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $630,255 (about $7.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents La Grande in the state legislature?
State Senate District 29 (Todd Nash) and State House District 58 (Bobby Levy). The House district also covers 20 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about La Grande’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 →