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2017-07-13 Prairie City 07Photo: Kingofthedead · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Prairie City

How is Prairie City run?

Prairie City’s city government spent $783,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $898 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Prairie City didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$783,000
year to June 30, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$898
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$1.9M
end of FY2022 · Census estimate
City staff, 2022
5
full-time · 2 part-time · March payroll $31,367
Typical tax bill
$1,895
0.92% of home value · OR 0.81%

What stands out about how Prairie City is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Runs its own water & sewer52% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (a Census estimate).A shared school districtShares Prairie City School District 4 with 1 other town.Low bills, a higher rateThe typical bill is $1,895 a year: 0.92% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon.
★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $898 per resident a year, or $2.46 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 37%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 27%Utility sales 25%Property taxes 15%From other local governments 11%From the state 11%Interest, fines & other 8%Sales taxes 3%Other taxes & licenses <1%
An estimate

Prairie City didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $68,000; payments to other governments $9,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $1.1 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Prairie City yet

Every year of Prairie City’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 →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,895 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.92% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Oregon$3,876
Prairie City$1,895
$1,895
typical bill a year
0.92%
effective rate
$205,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Prairie City’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 Prairie City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Prairie City →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Prairie City

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See prairiecityoregon.com for Prairie City’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Prairie City yet.prairiecityoregon.com ↗
Agendas

Prairie City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on prairiecityoregon.com ↗.

Who works for Prairie City

One full-time city employee for every 174 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (872).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Roads & transportation3
Administration & buildings1 + 1 pt
Other1 + 1 pt
5
full-time
2
part-time
$31,367
payroll for March 2022
$376,404
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$64,800
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Prairie City’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Prairie City School District 4

Prairie City’s K–12 school district, shared with Granite. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Prairie City →
$5,123
per pupil · OR $17,749
1,224
students
$945,000
long-term debt

Of the $5,123 per pupil, $3,142 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 7%State 90%Federal 4%

Oregon districts overall: 38% local, 52% state, 10% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Prairie City’s votes are counted by county

Oregon reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Prairie City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Grant County’s results.

President · Grant County’s results4,456 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican78.3%3,490 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat18.3%816 votes

Others: 3.4% (150 votes).

Most votes in Grant County: Donald J Trump

Oregon: Harris 55.3%, Trump 41.0%

The county’s page

100% of Prairie City lies in Grant County. Every 2024 race in Grant County is on the county’s page.

Grant County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Prairie City

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Prairie City.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: prairiecityoregon.com ↗
  2. 2
    Oregon HouseState representatives
    Mark Owens
  3. 3
    Oregon SenateState senator
    Mike McLane
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Tina Kotek
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Cliff Bentz
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Oregon
    Ron WydenJeff Merkley

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Prairie City’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websiteprairiecityoregon.com ↗

Questions about Prairie City’s government

How much does Prairie City spend per resident?

About $898 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Prairie City didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $1.1 million.

What is the property tax rate in Prairie City?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,895 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.92% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see prairiecityoregon.com.

Who runs Prairie City’s government?

See prairiecityoregon.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Prairie City yet.

How did Prairie City vote in 2024?

Oregon counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Prairie City alone. Grant County, where 100% of Prairie City lies, voted Trump 78.3%, Harris 18.3% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Prairie City?

5 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $31,367 (about $376,404 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Prairie City in the state legislature?

State Senate District 30 (Mike McLane) and State House District 60 (Mark Owens). The House district also covers 24 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Prairie City’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 Prairie City, 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 →