Photo: NatFee · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Forest City run?
Forest City’s city government spent $159,000 on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, about $716 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Forest City didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Forest City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Midwest Central Community Unit School District 191
Forest City’s K–12 school district, shared with Green Valley, Manito, Topeka, Sand Prairie Township, Forest City Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,707 per pupil, $8,894 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.
About $716 per resident a year, or $1.96 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 48%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Forest City didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Forest City yet
Every year of Forest City’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,722 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.00% 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 Forest 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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Forest City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Forest City →
Who’s in charge in Forest City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Forest 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 Forest City alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Mason County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.7%4,464 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.7%1,773 votesOthers: 2.6% (168 votes).
Most votes in Mason County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Forest City lies in Mason County. Every 2024 race in Mason County is on the county’s page.
Mason 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 Forest City.
- 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 Forest City’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Forest City’s government
How much does Forest City spend per resident?
About $716 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Forest City didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $211,000.
What is the property tax rate in Forest City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,722 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.00% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Forest City’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Forest City yet.
How did Forest City vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Forest City alone. Mason County, where 100% of Forest City lies, voted Trump 69.7%, Harris 27.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Forest City?
0 full-time and 29 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $13,960 (about $167,520 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Forest City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 47 (Neil Anderson) and State House District 94 (Norine Hammond). The House district also covers 203 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Forest 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 (for Forest City, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →