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Town Hall · Decatur

How is Decatur run?

Decatur’s city government spent $89.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2023, about $1,282 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($23 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Illinois.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$89.3M
year to April 30, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$1,282
2022 was an estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$136.1M
end of FY2023, reported
City staff, 2025
496
full-time · 9 part-time · March payroll $4.0M
Typical tax bill
$2,279
2.29% of home value · IL 2.01%

What stands out about how Decatur is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online5 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer24% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2023).A shared school districtShares Decatur School District 61 with 1 other town.Split between districts3 State House and 2 U.S. House districts cover Decatur; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

5 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Decatur’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2023 budget

About $1,282 per resident a year, or $3.51 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 33%.

Where the money comes from
From the state 27%Utility sales 21%Sales taxes 16%From the federal government 16%Property taxes 9%Fees & charges 6%Interest, fines & other 4%Other taxes & licenses 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $4.6 million; interest on debt $6.4 million; payments to other governments $209,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $123.5 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Decatur yet

The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Decatur’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2023 only (2022 and 2024 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
City staff
496

full-time in March 2025, up from 457 in 2022.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $2,279 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.29% of the home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Forsyth$5,651
Illinois$5,298
Mount Zion$4,220
Oakley Township$4,063
Long Creek Township$3,408
South Wheatland Township$3,254
Long Creek$2,576
Whitmore Township$2,557
Harristown$2,368
Decatur$2,279
$2,279
typical bill a year
2.29%
effective rate
$99,600
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Decatur’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 Decatur’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Decatur →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Decatur

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See ci.decatur.il.us for Decatur’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Decatur yet.ci.decatur.il.us ↗
Who works for Decatur

One full-time city employee for every 140 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (69,646).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police149 + 1 pt
Fire111
Roads & transportation69
Water & other utilities46
Administration & buildings43
Parks & libraries37 + 8 pt
Housing & development9
Courts, inspections & corrections7
Other25
496
full-time
9
part-time
$4.0M
payroll for March 2025
$48.0M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$96,300
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
134
sworn police officers
110
full-time firefighters
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Decatur’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Decatur School District 61

Decatur’s K–12 school district, shared with Decatur Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Decatur →
$18,753
per pupil · IL $21,567
7,827
students
$119 million
long-term debt

Of the $18,753 per pupil, $7,722 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 30%State 48%Federal 21%

Illinois districts overall: 52% local, 38% state, 10% federal.

Also serving Decatur

Argenta-Oreana Community Unit School District 1 · $14,945 per pupil

Warrensburg-Latham Community Unit District 11 · $13,217 per pupil

Maroa-Forsyth Community Unit School District 2 · $12,998 per pupil

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Decatur’s votes are counted by county

Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Decatur alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Macon County’s results.

President · Macon County’s results45,626 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican58.2%26,562 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat39.5%18,009 votes

Others: 2.3% (1,055 votes).

Most votes in Macon County: Donald J Trump

Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%

The county’s page

100% of Decatur lies in Macon County. Every 2024 race in Macon County is on the county’s page.

Macon County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Decatur

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Decatur.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: ci.decatur.il.us ↗
  2. 2
    Illinois HouseDecatur is split between 3 districts
    Sue SchererRegan DeeringBrad Halbrook
  3. 3
    Illinois SenateState senator
    Doris TurnerSally TurnerSteve McClure
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    J. B. Pritzker
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseSplit between districts
    Nikki BudzinskiMary E. Miller
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Illinois
    Richard J. DurbinTammy Duckworth
Find your state legislators by address ↗Find your House district by ZIP code ↗

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Decatur compares with the towns next door

Decatur’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $33 to $1,092 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.

Forsyth: $1,092 per resident (2022)Mount Zion: $492 per resident (2022)Oakley Township: $347 per resident (2022)Whitmore Township: no reported 2022 figuresHarristown: $326 per resident (2022)Decatur Township: $33 per resident (2022)South Wheatland Township: $111 per resident (2022)Long Creek: $254 per resident (2022)Long Creek Township: $33 per resident (2022)ForsythMount ZionOakley TownshipWhitmore TownshipHarristownDecatur TownshipSouth Wheatland TownshipLong CreekLong Creek TownshipDecatur
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Decatur Township$33$1,680
Long Creek Township$33$3,408
South Wheatland Township$111$3,254
Long Creek$254$2,576
Harristown$326$2,368
Oakley Township$347$4,063
Mount Zion$492$4,220
Forsyth$1,092$5,651
Whitmore Townshipestimate$2,557
Decaturestimate$2,279

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 Decatur’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websiteci.decatur.il.us ↗

Questions about Decatur’s government

How much does Decatur spend per resident?

About $1,282 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau.

What is the property tax rate in Decatur?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,279 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.29% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.decatur.il.us.

Who runs Decatur’s government?

See ci.decatur.il.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Decatur yet.

How did Decatur vote in 2024?

Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Decatur alone. Macon County, where 100% of Decatur lies, voted Trump 58.2%, Harris 39.5% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Decatur?

496 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.0M (about $48.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Decatur in the state legislature?

Decatur is split among 3 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Illinois Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Decatur?

The next posted meeting is General on Monday, November 16, at 5:30 pm, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Decatur’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →