How is Bluffs run?
Bluffs’ village government spent $357,000 on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, about $543 per resident. Water and other utilities ($108,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bluffs is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $543 per resident a year, or $1.49 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 49%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$543 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Bluffs’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($543 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 637 Illinois cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $501, and the middle half spent $342–$713. Bluffs spent more than 54% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($71,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bluffs itself left out).
No trend yet
Bluffs reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,302 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.77% 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 Bluffs’ 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.
Tax bills are one input to Bluffs’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bluffs →
Who’s in charge in Bluffs
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 329 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (658).
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.
Scott-Morgan Consolidated Unit School District 2
Bluffs’ K–12 school district, shared with Exeter, Naples. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $22,062 per pupil, $12,629 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Bluffs’ votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Bluffs alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Scott County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican79.9%2,071 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat18.8%488 votesOthers: 1.3% (33 votes).
Most votes in Scott County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Bluffs lies in Scott County. Every 2024 race in Scott County is on the county’s page.
Scott 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 Bluffs.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Illinois HouseState representatives
- 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.
Reach Bluffs’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Bluffs’ government
How much does Bluffs spend per resident?
About $543 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 $543 was more than 54% of 637 Illinois cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bluffs?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,302 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.77% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.
Who runs Bluffs’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bluffs yet.
How did Bluffs vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Bluffs alone. Scott County, where 100% of Bluffs lies, voted Trump 79.9%, Harris 18.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bluffs?
2 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $16,798 (about $201,576 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bluffs in the state legislature?
State Senate District 50 (Jil Tracy) and State House District 100 (C.D. Davidsmeyer). The House district also covers 139 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bluffs’ 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 →