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Town Hall · Pick

How Pick is run

Pick spent $283,000 in the year to December 31, 2022, about $2,144 per resident.

Town website
City budget
$283,000
spent, year to December 31, 2022
Per resident
$2,144
Above typical North Dakota cities ($1,909)
Long-term debt
$115,000
$871 per resident
City staff
0
full-time · 10 part-time
Typical tax bill
$1,194
a year · ND $2,468

What stands out about how Pick is run

Read from the town’s budget, meetings and records. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Your share of the budget

About $2,144 per resident a year, or $5.87 a day

The biggest line: water & other utilities, at 37% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 42%Fees & charges 22%From the state 17%Property taxes 10%Interest, fines & other 7%Sales taxes 2%Other taxes & licenses 1%
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,194 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.75% of the home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

North Dakota$2,468
Pick$1,194
$1,194
typical bill a year
0.75%
effective rate
$158,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Pick’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.

The school district

Underwood Public School District 8

Pick’s K–12 school district, shared with Coleharbor, Longfellow, Riverdale, Underwood, Victoria. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Pick →
$18,259
per pupil · ND $16,642
205
students
$1.6 million
long-term debt

Of the $18,259 per pupil, $9,717 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 44%State 52%Federal 4%

North Dakota districts overall: 40% local, 46% state, 14% federal.

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Pick

Local officials aren’t in the public records we use for Pick yet. Neighbors can add them.

Who works for Pick

0 full-time staff

On the payroll in March 2022.

By department full-time, plus part-time

Administration & buildings0 + 9 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 1 pt
0
full-time
10
part-time

Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it’s approximate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

Who represents Pick

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Pick.

Politics & elections →
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    North Dakota HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    North Dakota SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of North Dakota

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

Reach Pick’s government

Numbers and hours come from neighbors and the town’s own site (the Handbook). A new one goes live once two neighbors confirm it.

The Handbook →
Official websitepickcitynd.com ↗

Questions about how Pick is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Pick get good value for its tax dollars?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. School district: Census school finance survey. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates. Representatives: Open States, the Census and congress-legislators.

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Add to the handbook

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