How is Brighton run?
Brighton’s village government spent $1.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $578 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($1.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Brighton is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $578 per resident a year, or $1.58 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$578 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Brighton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($578 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. Brighton spent more than 59% of 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; Brighton itself left out).
No trend yet
Brighton reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2024 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,652 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 Brighton’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.
Tax bills are one input to Brighton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Brighton →
Who’s in charge in Brighton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 177 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 (2,119).
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.
Southwestern Community Unit School District 9
Brighton’s K–12 school district, shared with Fidelity, Medora, Shipman, Shipman Township, Ruyle Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,659 per pupil, $9,873 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.
Brighton’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Brighton alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Macoupin County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican68.3%16,065 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat29.3%6,892 votesOthers: 2.4% (568 votes).
Most votes in Macoupin County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
86% of Brighton lies in Macoupin County; the rest in Jersey County. Every 2024 race in Macoupin County is on the county’s page.
Macoupin 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 Brighton.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Illinois HouseState representatives
- 3Illinois SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Illinois
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Brighton’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Brighton’s government
How much does Brighton spend per resident?
About $578 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $578 was more than 59% of 637 Illinois cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Brighton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,652 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 the village’s assessor.
Who runs Brighton’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Brighton yet.
How did Brighton vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Brighton alone. Macoupin County, where 86% of Brighton lies, voted Trump 68.3%, Harris 29.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Brighton?
12 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $63,171 (about $758,052 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Brighton 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 Brighton’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 →