Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Coal City run?
Coal City’s city government spent $5.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, about $981 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Coal City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $981 per resident a year, or $2.69 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 44%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$981 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Coal City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($981 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 $880, and the middle half spent $696–$1,158. Coal City spent more than 60% of 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; Coal City itself left out).
No trend yet
Coal City reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $4,226 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.10% 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 Coal City’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 Coal City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Coal City →
Who’s in charge in Coal City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Coal City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on coalcity-il.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 214 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 (5,351).
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.
Coal City Community Unit School District 1
Coal City’s K–12 school district, shared with Carbon Hill, Felix Township, Goose Lake Township, Diamond, Braceville Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,202 per pupil, $9,271 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.
Coal City’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Coal City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Grundy County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican63.6%16,997 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat34.2%9,143 votesOthers: 2.2% (578 votes).
Most votes in Grundy County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Coal City lies in Grundy County; the rest in Will County. Every 2024 race in Grundy County is on the county’s page.
Grundy 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 Coal City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: coalcity-il.com ↗
- 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.
How Coal City compares with the towns next door
Coal City spent $981 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $553 to $1,536. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Diamond | $553 | $3,304 |
| Braidwood | $731 | $3,686 |
| Carbon Hill | $1,536 | $3,237 |
| Coal City | $981 | $4,226 |
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 Coal City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Coal City’s government
How much does Coal City spend per resident?
About $981 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 $981 was more than 60% of 166 Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Coal City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,226 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.10% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see coalcity-il.com.
Who runs Coal City’s government?
See coalcity-il.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Coal City yet.
How did Coal City vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Coal City alone. Grundy County, where 100% of Coal City lies, voted Trump 63.6%, Harris 34.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Coal City?
25 full-time and 26 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $182,100 (about $2.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Coal City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 53 (Chris Balkema) and State House District 106 (Jason Bunting). The House district also covers 144 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Coal City’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 →