City government · Polk County, FL

Lake Wales's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2021), Lake Wales took in $33.2 million and spent $32.1 million.

Latest recorded year: ended September 30, 2021Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

Fees for services (water, garbage collection)42%City taxes40%County and local tax money8.8%State tax money4.4%Fines and other3.2%Federal tax money1.6%

What stands out

23%

of Lake Wales' money comes from taxes other than property, sales and income taxes.A typical U.S. city of 10,000 to 50,000 people gets 6.1%.

City taxes40%

Other taxes
23%$7.6 million
What's in other taxesOther licenses; public utility taxes and 3 more
  • Other licenses$2.6 million
  • Public utility taxes$2.5 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$1.5 million
  • Motor fuel taxes$808 thousand
  • Insurance premium taxes$246 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Property tax
17%$5.6 million

Fees for services42%

Fees for services
42%$13.9 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; garbage collection and 5 more
  • Water$10.0 million
  • Garbage collection$1.3 million
  • Other service charges$1.3 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$523 thousand
  • Airport$336 thousand
  • Other government-run businesses$203 thousand
  • Road charges$157 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money1.6%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
1.6%$534 thousand

State tax money4.4%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
4.4%$1.5 million

County and local tax money8.8%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
8.8%$2.9 million

Fines and other3.2%

Interest, rents and other
2.9%$950 thousand
Fines
0.3%$116 thousand

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails28%Water, sewer, trash and utilities26%Running the government and other costs25%Parks, recreation and libraries8.8%Roads, transit and parking8.6%All other spending4.2%

What stands out

25%

of Lake Wales' spending goes to running the government and other costs.A typical U.S. city of 10,000 to 50,000 people spends 18%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
28%$8.9 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$5.1 million
  • Fire protection$3.3 million
  • Inspections and regulation$414 thousand
  • Courts and legal services$64 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
26%$8.3 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems and garbage and solid waste
  • Sewer systems$7.2 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$1.1 million
Running the government and other costs
25%$8.0 million
What's in running the government and other costsFinance, tax collection and budgeting; other and not broken out and 1 more
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$5.3 million
  • Other and not broken out$1.8 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$873 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
8.8%$2.8 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$1.8 million
  • Libraries$1.1 million
Roads, transit and parking
8.6%$2.8 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingAirports and roads and highways
  • Airports$1.7 million
  • Roads and highways$1.1 million
Interest on debt
2.2%$708 thousand
What's in interest on debtInterest on water supply debt and interest on general debt
  • Interest on water supply debt$365 thousand
  • Interest on general debt$343 thousand
Environment and natural resources
2.0%$649 thousand
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$649 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Lake Wales. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments, Finance, individual unit file, fiscal year ended September 30, 2021. The Census record for this government is from the 2022 survey, the newest on file.

What this covers. The money of City of Lake Wales itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.