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Town Hall · Lacey

How is Lacey run?

Lacey’s city government spent $78.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,341 per resident. Water and other utilities ($12.3 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Washington.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$78.5M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,341
In 2022: $1,147, more than 53% of 15 similar cities
Long-term debt
$19.9M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2025
341
full-time · 72 part-time · March payroll $3.2M
Typical tax bill
$3,774
0.83% of home value · WA 0.81%

What stands out about how Lacey is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer39% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).Split between districts3 State House districts cover Lacey; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Lacey’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,341 per resident a year, or $3.67 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 29%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 30%Sales taxes 24%Utility sales 17%Interest, fines & other 8%Other taxes & licenses 6%Property taxes 6%From the state 5%From other local governments 3%From the federal government 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $18.2 million; interest on debt $859,000; payments to other governments $197,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $110 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,147 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Lacey’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,147 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 15 Washington cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,121, and the middle half spent $809–$1,638. Lacey spent more than 53% of them.

Middle half of the group, $809–$1,638Median $1,121Lacey

Includes sewer and trash ($20.5 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
15

Washington cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Lacey itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 26% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lacey reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$62.1 million
2023$68.7 million
2024$78.5 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,147 · 2023: $1,261 · 2024: $1,341. Per resident it went from $1,147 to $1,341 (up 17%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 54,178 to 58,552.

City staff
341

full-time in March 2025, up from 289 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,774 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.83% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Washington$4,556
Olympia$4,396
Lacey$3,774
Tanglewilde$3,634
$3,774
typical bill a year
0.83%
effective rate
$457,100
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Lacey

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

See cityoflacey.org for Lacey’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Lacey yet.cityoflacey.org ↗
Who works for Lacey

One full-time city employee for every 172 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (58,552).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police87 + 2 pt
Administration & buildings58 + 8 pt
Parks & libraries29 + 56 pt
Water & other utilities36 + 3 pt
Sewer & trash30
Roads & transportation24 + 1 pt
Health & welfare24
Housing & development12
Other41 + 2 pt
341
full-time
72
part-time
$3.2M
payroll for March 2025
$39.0M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$111,600
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
71
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Lacey had 5.3 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 11 of the 15 Washington cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 6.7: Lacey had fewer than 64% 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

North Thurston Public Schools

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

Schools in Lacey →
$17,370
per pupil · WA $18,444
15,197
students
$218 million
long-term debt

Of the $17,370 per pupil, $10,183 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 28%State 66%Federal 6%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Lacey’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Thurston County’s results164,174 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat58.1%95,459 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican37.8%62,135 votes

Others: 4.0% (6,580 votes).

Most votes in Thurston County: Kamala D Harris

Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%

The county’s page

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

Thurston 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 Lacey

From town hall to Washington

Lacey sends 6 representatives to the Washington House alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityoflacey.org ↗
  2. 2
    Washington HouseLacey is split between 3 districts
    Beth DoglioLisa ParshleyDan GriffeyTravis CoutureAndrew BarkisMatt Marshall
  3. 3
    Washington SenateState senator
    Jess BatemanDrew MacEwenJim McCune
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Bob Ferguson
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Marilyn Strickland
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Washington
    Patty MurrayMaria Cantwell
Find your state legislators by address ↗

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

Next door

How Lacey compares with the towns next door

Lacey spent $1,147 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $2,381. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Olympia: $2,381 per resident (2022)Tanglewilde: unincorporated, no town budgetOlympiaTanglewildeLacey
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Olympia$2,381$4,396
Lacey$1,147$3,774

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 Lacey’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websitecityoflacey.org ↗

Questions about Lacey’s government

How much does Lacey spend per resident?

About $1,341 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,147 was more than 53% of 15 Washington cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Lacey?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,774 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.83% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityoflacey.org.

Who runs Lacey’s government?

See cityoflacey.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lacey yet.

How did Lacey vote in 2024?

Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lacey alone. Thurston County, where 100% of Lacey lies, voted Harris 58.1%, Trump 37.8% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Lacey?

341 full-time and 72 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.2M (about $39.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Lacey in the state legislature?

Lacey is split among 3 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Washington Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Lacey?

The next posted meeting is City Council on Tuesday, November 3, at 4:30 pm, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Lacey’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 →