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Town Hall · Fircrest

How is Fircrest run?

Fircrest’s city government spent $7.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,079 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Washington.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$7.4M
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$1,079
In 2022: $1,079, less than 60% of 65 similar cities
Long-term debt
$12.4M
end of 2022, reported
City staff, 2022
33
full-time · 14 part-time · March payroll $234,307
Typical tax bill
$4,714
0.81% of home value · WA 0.81%

What stands out about how Fircrest is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,079 per resident a year, or $2.96 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 33%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 26%Property taxes 19%From the state 17%Sales taxes 15%Interest, fines & other 12%Utility sales 7%Other taxes & licenses 4%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $8.9 million; interest on debt $379,000; payments to other governments $127,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $17.9 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,079 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Fircrest’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,079 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 65 Washington cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,191, and the middle half spent $890–$1,504. Fircrest spent less than 60% of them.

Middle half of the group, $890–$1,504Median $1,191Fircrest

Includes sewer and trash ($2.5 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 →

The group
65

Washington cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Fircrest itself left out).

Over the years

No trend yet

Fircrest reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $4,714 a year

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

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

University Place$6,162
Fircrest$4,714
Washington$4,556
Tacoma$4,482
$4,714
typical bill a year
0.81%
effective rate
$583,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Fircrest

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

See cityoffircrest.net for Fircrest’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Fircrest yet.cityoffircrest.net ↗
Agendas

Fircrest’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityoffircrest.net ↗.

Who works for Fircrest

One full-time city employee for every 209 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 (6,884).

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

Administration & buildings8 + 8 pt
Police10 + 1 pt
Sewer & trash4 + 1 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections3 + 1 pt
Parks & libraries2 + 3 pt
Water & other utilities3
Other3
33
full-time
14
part-time
$234,307
payroll for March 2022
$2.8M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$77,800
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
9
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Fircrest had 4.8 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 57 of the 65 Washington cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 6.6: Fircrest had fewer than 77% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

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

Tacoma Public Schools

Fircrest’s K–12 school district, shared with Ruston, Tacoma. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Fircrest →
$19,619
per pupil · WA $18,444
28,272
students
$885.3 million
long-term debt

Of the $19,619 per pupil, $10,822 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 32%State 58%Federal 10%

Washington districts overall: 27% local, 66% state, 8% federal.

Also serving Fircrest

University Place School District · $16,417 per pupil

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Fircrest’s votes are counted by county

Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fircrest alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Pierce County’s results.

President · Pierce County’s results439,515 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat53.5%235,151 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican42.8%188,148 votes

Others: 3.7% (16,216 votes).

Most votes in Pierce County: Kamala D Harris

Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%

The county’s page

100% of Fircrest lies in Pierce County. Every 2024 race in Pierce County is on the county’s page.

Pierce 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 Fircrest

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Fircrest.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    Washington HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Washington SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Washington

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

Next door

How Fircrest compares with the towns next door

Fircrest spent $1,079 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $415 to $2,188. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
University Place$415$6,162
Tacoma$2,188$4,482
Fircrest$1,079$4,714

Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).

Reach Fircrest’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Fircrest’s government

How much does Fircrest spend per resident?

About $1,079 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 $1,079 was less than 60% of 65 Washington cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Fircrest?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,714 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.81% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityoffircrest.net.

Who runs Fircrest’s government?

See cityoffircrest.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Fircrest yet.

How did Fircrest vote in 2024?

Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fircrest alone. Pierce County, where 100% of Fircrest lies, voted Harris 53.5%, Trump 42.8% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Fircrest?

33 full-time and 14 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $234,307 (about $2.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Fircrest in the state legislature?

State Senate District 28 (T'wina Nobles) and State House District 28 (Dan Bronoske and Mari Leavitt). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Fircrest’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; 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 →