How is Timber Lake run?
Timber Lake’s city government spent $438,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $892 per resident. Water and other utilities ($62,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Timber Lake is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $892 per resident a year, or $2.44 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 34%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$892 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Timber Lake’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($892 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $747, and the middle half spent $370–$1,182. Timber Lake spent more than 61% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($107,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Timber Lake itself left out).
No trend yet
Timber Lake reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,198 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.47% 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 Timber Lake’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 Timber Lake’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Timber Lake →
Who’s in charge in Timber Lake
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Timber Lake’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on timberlakesouthdakota.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 164 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 (491).
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.
Timber Lake School District 20-3
Timber Lake’s K–12 school district, shared with Isabel, Ridgeland Township, Pleasant Ridge Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,846 per pupil, $10,131 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.
Timber Lake’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 Timber Lake alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Dewey County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat55.2%1,032 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican42.4%793 votesOthers: 2.5% (46 votes).
Most votes in Dewey County: Kamala D Harris
South Dakota: Trump 63.4%, Harris 34.2%
100% of Timber Lake lies in Dewey County. Every 2024 race in Dewey County is on the county’s page.
Dewey 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 Timber Lake.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: timberlakesouthdakota.com ↗
- 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 Timber Lake’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Timber Lake’s government
How much does Timber Lake spend per resident?
About $892 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $892 was more than 61% of 124 South Dakota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Timber Lake?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,198 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.47% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.06% across South Dakota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see timberlakesouthdakota.com.
Who runs Timber Lake’s government?
See timberlakesouthdakota.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Timber Lake yet.
How did Timber Lake vote in 2024?
South Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Timber Lake alone. Dewey County, where 100% of Timber Lake lies, voted Harris 55.2%, Trump 42.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Timber Lake?
3 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $15,528 (about $186,336 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Timber Lake in the state legislature?
State Senate District 28 (Sam Marty) and State House District 28A (Jana Hunt). The House district also covers 37 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Timber Lake’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 →