Photo: Tyler Warren · CC BY 2.0How is Bethalto run?
Bethalto’s village government spent $7.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, about $777 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bethalto is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $777 per resident a year, or $2.13 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$777 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Bethalto’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($777 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 166 Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $884, and the middle half spent $696–$1,158. Bethalto spent less than 64% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.4 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 →
Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bethalto itself left out).
No trend yet
Bethalto reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $3,099 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.83% of the home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bethalto’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 Bethalto’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bethalto →
Who’s in charge in Bethalto
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bethalto’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on bethalto.com ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 167 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (9,201).
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.
Bethalto Consolidated Unit School District 8
Bethalto’s K–12 school district, shared with Wood River Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,148 per pupil, $8,886 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.
Illinois districts overall: 52% local, 38% state, 10% federal.
Roxana Community Unit School District 1 · $21,111 per pupil
Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7 · $16,319 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Bethalto’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Bethalto alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Madison County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican55.1%73,925 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat42.0%56,341 votesOthers: 2.8% (3,790 votes).
Most votes in Madison County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Bethalto lies in Madison County. Every 2024 race in Madison County is on the county’s page.
Madison 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 Bethalto.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bethalto.com ↗
- 2Illinois HouseBethalto is split between 2 districts
- 3Illinois SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Illinois
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Bethalto compares with the towns next door
Bethalto spent $777 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Russell Township | $84 | $4,562 |
| Wood River Township | $87 | $2,143 |
| Moro Township | $138 | $4,660 |
| Foster Township | $163 | $5,237 |
| Wood River | $1,369 | $2,133 |
| Bethalto | $777 | $3,099 |
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 Bethalto’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bethalto’s government
How much does Bethalto spend per resident?
About $777 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $777 was less than 64% of 166 Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bethalto?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,099 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.83% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bethalto.com.
Who runs Bethalto’s government?
See bethalto.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bethalto yet.
How did Bethalto vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Bethalto alone. Madison County, where 100% of Bethalto lies, voted Trump 55.1%, Harris 42.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bethalto?
55 full-time and 20 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $313,310 (about $3.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Bethalto in the state legislature?
Bethalto is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Illinois Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bethalto’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 →