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Lake Forest Park, WA - city hallPhoto: Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Lake Forest Park

Lake Forest Park spent less per resident in 2022 than 70% of similar cities

Lake Forest Park’s city government spent $17.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,310 per resident.

Town website
Next public meeting

City Council

6:00 pm · 17425 Ballinger Way NE

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$17.3M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,310
In 2022: $990, less than 70% of 40 similar cities
Long-term debt
$2.1M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2022
50
full-time · 20 part-time · March payroll $408,743
Typical tax bill
$8,290
0.87% of home value · WA 0.81%

What stands out about how Lake Forest Park is run

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

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends less than most similar citiesIn 2022: $990 per resident, less than 70% of 40 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer21% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).A shared school districtShares Shoreline School District with 1 other town.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Lake Forest Park’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 $1,310 per resident a year, or $3.59 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 30%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 30%Sales taxes 17%Interest, fines & other 16%Property taxes 15%Other taxes & licenses 11%From the state 10%From other local governments 1%From the federal government <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $997,000; interest on debt $54,000; payments to other governments $402,000. With these, the whole budget was $18.7 million.
Compared with similar places

$990 per resident in 2022: less than 70% of them

Lake Forest Park’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($990 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 40 Washington cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,136, and the middle half spent $944–$1,528. Lake Forest Park spent less than 70% of them.

Middle half of the group, $944–$1,528Median $1,136Lake Forest Park

Includes sewer and trash ($3 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
40

Washington cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Lake Forest Park itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 30% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$13.3 million
2024$17.3 million

Per resident: 2022: $990 · 2024: $1,310.

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 $8,290 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.87% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Lake Forest Park$8,290
Kenmore$8,271
Shoreline$7,083
Washington$4,556
$8,290
typical bill a year
0.87%
effective rate
$953,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Lake Forest Park

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

See cityoflfp.gov for Lake Forest Park’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Lake Forest Park yet.cityoflfp.gov ↗
Who works for Lake Forest Park

One full-time city employee for every 264 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (13,186).

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

Police20 + 1 pt
Administration & buildings13 + 11 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections3 + 4 pt
Sewer & trash5
Roads & transportation4 + 1 pt
Parks & libraries3 + 1 pt
Other2 + 2 pt
50
full-time
20
part-time
$408,743
payroll for March 2022
$4.9M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$90,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
17
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Lake Forest Park had 3.7 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 32 of the 40 Washington cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 5.8: Lake Forest Park had fewer than 84% 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

Shoreline School District

Lake Forest Park’s K–12 school district, shared with Shoreline. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Lake Forest Park →
$17,482
per pupil · WA $18,444
9,612
students
$343.4 million
long-term debt

Of the $17,482 per pupil, $10,459 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 36%State 60%Federal 4%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Lake Forest Park’s votes are counted by county

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

President · King County’s results1,130,502 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat73.6%832,606 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican22.3%252,193 votes

Others: 4.0% (45,703 votes).

Most votes in King County: Kamala D Harris

Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%

The county’s page

100% of Lake Forest Park lies in King County. Every 2024 race in King County is on the county’s page.

King 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 Lake Forest Park

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Lake Forest Park.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityoflfp.gov ↗
  2. 2
    Washington HouseState representatives
    Davina DuerrShelley Kloba
  3. 3
    Washington SenateState senator
    Derek Stanford
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Bob Ferguson
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Pramila Jayapal
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Washington
    Patty MurrayMaria Cantwell

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

Next door

How Lake Forest Park compares with the towns next door

Lake Forest Park spent $990 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $593 to $875. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Shoreline: $875 per resident (2022)Kenmore: $593 per resident (2022)ShorelineKenmoreLake Forest Park
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Kenmore$593$8,271
Shoreline$875$7,083
Lake Forest Park$990$8,290

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 Lake Forest Park’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websitecityoflfp.gov ↗

Questions about Lake Forest Park’s government

How much does Lake Forest Park spend per resident?

About $1,310 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 $990 was less than 70% of 40 Washington cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Lake Forest Park?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $8,290 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.87% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityoflfp.gov.

Who runs Lake Forest Park’s government?

See cityoflfp.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lake Forest Park yet.

How did Lake Forest Park vote in 2024?

Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lake Forest Park alone. King County, where 100% of Lake Forest Park lies, voted Harris 73.6%, Trump 22.3% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Lake Forest Park?

50 full-time and 20 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $408,743 (about $4.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Lake Forest Park in the state legislature?

State Senate District 1 (Derek Stanford) and State House District 1 (Davina Duerr and Shelley Kloba). The House district also covers five other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Lake Forest Park?

The next posted meeting is City Council on Thursday, November 12, at 6:00 pm in 17425 Ballinger Way NE, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Lake Forest Park’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 →