How is Selah run?
Selah’s city government spent $10.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,245 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Selah is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Selah
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: ci.selah.wa.us ↗
Selah’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on ci.selah.wa.us ↗.
About $1,245 per resident a year, or $3.41 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 32%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,149 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Selah’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,149 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. Selah spent less than 54% of them.
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 →
Washington cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Selah itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 9% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Selah reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,149 · 2023: $1,245.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,815 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.68% 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 Selah’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 Selah’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Selah →
One full-time city employee for every 135 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (8,208).
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.
Selah School District
Selah’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,487 per pupil, $9,946 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Selah’s votes are counted by county
Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Selah alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Yakima County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican55.7%49,104 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat41.3%36,383 votesOthers: 3.0% (2,658 votes).
Most votes in Yakima County: Donald J Trump
Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%
100% of Selah lies in Yakima County. Every 2024 race in Yakima County is on the county’s page.
Yakima 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 Selah.
- 1Your cityMayorRoger Bellas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 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.
How Selah compares with the towns next door
Selah spent $1,149 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,175. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Yakima | $1,175 | $2,380 |
| Selah | $1,149 | $2,815 |
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 Selah’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Selah’s government
How much does Selah spend per resident?
About $1,245 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,149 was less than 54% of 65 Washington cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Selah?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,815 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.68% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.selah.wa.us.
Who is the mayor of Selah?
Roger Bell, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on ci.selah.wa.us.
How did Selah vote in 2024?
Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Selah alone. Yakima County, where 100% of Selah lies, voted Trump 55.7%, Harris 41.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Selah?
61 full-time and 56 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $484,236 (about $5.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Selah in the state legislature?
State Senate District 15 (Nikki Torres) and State House District 15 (Chris Corry and Jeremie Dufault). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Selah’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 →