How is Lake Preston run?
Lake Preston’s city government spent $766,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,373 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Lake Preston didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Lake Preston is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Lake Preston School District 38-3
Lake Preston’s K–12 school district, shared with Erwin, Baker Township, Hetland, Hartland Township, Whitewood Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,122 per pupil, $9,755 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.
South Dakota districts overall: 50% local, 31% state, 19% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,373 per resident a year, or $3.76 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 25%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Lake Preston collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.
Lake Preston 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 Lake Preston yet
Every year of Lake Preston’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 →The typical homeowner pays $1,614 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.24% of the home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Lake Preston’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 Lake Preston’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lake Preston →
Who’s in charge in Lake Preston
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 186 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 (558).
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.
Lake Preston’s votes are counted by county
South Dakota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lake Preston alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Kingsbury County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican71.0%1,989 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.1%760 votesOthers: 1.9% (52 votes).
Most votes in Kingsbury County: Donald J Trump
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Lake Preston lies in Kingsbury County. Every 2024 race in Kingsbury County is on the county’s page.
Kingsbury 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 Lake Preston.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2South Dakota HouseState representatives
- 3South Dakota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of South Dakota
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Lake Preston’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Lake Preston’s government
How much does Lake Preston spend per resident?
About $1,373 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Lake Preston didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $770,000.
What is the property tax rate in Lake Preston?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,614 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.24% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Lake Preston’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lake Preston yet.
How did Lake Preston vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lake Preston alone. Kingsbury County, where 100% of Lake Preston lies, voted Trump 71.0%, Harris 27.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lake Preston?
3 full-time and 16 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $16,656 (about $199,872 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lake Preston in the state legislature?
State Senate District 8 (Casey Crabtree) and State House District 8 (Tim Reisch and Tim Walburg). The House district also covers 85 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lake Preston’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 Lake Preston, 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 →