John and Carolena Heimuller Farmstead · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Scappoose run?
Scappoose’s city government spent $7.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $936 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Scappoose is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Scappoose
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: ci.scappoose.or.us ↗
Scappoose’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.scappoose.or.us ↗.
About $936 per resident a year, or $2.56 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,005 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Scappoose’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,005 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 35 Oregon cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $991, and the middle half spent $701–$1,314. Scappoose spent more than 54% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.4 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Scappoose itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 1% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Scappoose 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: $1,005 · 2023: $936. Per resident it went from $1,005 to $936 (down 7%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 7,618 to 8,058.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,834 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.84% 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 Scappoose’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 Scappoose’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Scappoose →
One full-time city employee for every 230 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 (8,058).
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.
Scappoose School District 1J
Scappoose’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,151 per pupil, $8,406 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.
Scappoose’s votes are counted by county
Oregon reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Scappoose alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Columbia County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican55.0%17,227 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat41.2%12,895 votesOthers: 3.9% (1,212 votes).
Most votes in Columbia County: Donald J Trump
Oregon: Harris 55.3%, Trump 41.0%
100% of Scappoose lies in Columbia County. Every 2024 race in Columbia County is on the county’s page.
Columbia 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 Scappoose.
- 1Your cityMayorJoseph A. Backusas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 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 Scappoose’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Scappoose’s government
How much does Scappoose spend per resident?
About $936 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 $1,005 was more than 54% of 35 Oregon cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Scappoose?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,834 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.84% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.scappoose.or.us.
Who is the mayor of Scappoose?
Joseph A. Backus, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on ci.scappoose.or.us.
How did Scappoose vote in 2024?
Oregon counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Scappoose alone. Columbia County, where 100% of Scappoose lies, voted Trump 55.0%, Harris 41.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Scappoose?
35 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $174,423 (about $2.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Scappoose in the state legislature?
State Senate District 16 (Suzanne Weber) and State House District 31 (Darcey Edwards). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Scappoose’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 →