Judge Columbia Lancaster House · Photo: TDavisPayne · CC BY-SA 3.0How is La Center run?
La Center’s city government spent $4.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,282 per resident.
What stands out about how La Center is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,282 per resident a year, or $3.51 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,282 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
La Center’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,282 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 $1,189, and the middle half spent $890–$1,504. La Center spent more than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($910,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Washington cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; La Center itself left out).
No trend yet
La Center reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
full-time in March 2025, down from 19 in 2022.
The typical homeowner pays $4,514 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.77% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at La Center’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 La Center’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in La Center →
Who’s in charge in La Center
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
La Center’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.lacenter.wa.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 257 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (3,602).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
La Center School District
La Center’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,422 per pupil, $8,905 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.
Washington districts overall: 27% local, 66% state, 8% federal.
Ridgefield School District · $14,560 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
La Center’s votes are counted by county
Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for La Center alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Clark County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat51.8%143,201 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican44.8%123,995 votesOthers: 3.4% (9,373 votes).
Most votes in Clark County: Kamala D Harris
Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%
100% of La Center lies in Clark County. Every 2024 race in Clark County is on the county’s page.
Clark 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 La Center.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.lacenter.wa.us ↗
- 2Washington HouseState representatives
- 3Washington SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Washington
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach La Center’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about La Center’s government
How much does La Center spend per resident?
About $1,282 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 $1,282 was more 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 La Center?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,514 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.77% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.lacenter.wa.us.
Who runs La Center’s government?
See ci.lacenter.wa.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for La Center yet.
How did La Center vote in 2024?
Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for La Center alone. Clark County, where 100% of La Center lies, voted Harris 51.8%, Trump 44.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for La Center?
14 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $115,389 (about $1.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents La Center in the state legislature?
State Senate District 20 (John Braun) and State House District 20 (Ed Orcutt and Peter Abbarno). The House district also covers 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about La Center’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 →