Photo: AlphaBeta135 · CC BY 4.0How is Hometown run?
Hometown’s city government spent $4.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, about $1,020 per resident.
What stands out about how Hometown is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123
Hometown’s elementary school district, shared with Oak Lawn. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,821 per pupil, $11,794 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.
Oak Lawn Community High School District 229 · $21,502 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $1,020 per resident a year, or $2.79 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,020 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Hometown’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,020 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. Hometown spent more than 63% 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; Hometown itself left out).
No trend yet
Hometown reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $3,663 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.11% 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 Hometown’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 Hometown’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hometown →
Who’s in charge in Hometown
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Hometown’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofhometown.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 687 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 (4,120).
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.
Hometown’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hometown alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Cook County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat68.9%1,447,821 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican27.8%583,852 votesOthers: 3.3% (70,005 votes).
Most votes in Cook County: Kamala D Harris
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Hometown lies in Cook County. Every 2024 race in Cook County is on the county’s page.
Cook 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 Hometown.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofhometown.org ↗
- 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 Hometown compares with the towns next door
Hometown spent $1,020 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,450. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Oak Lawn | $1,450 | $6,160 |
| Hometown | $1,020 | $3,663 |
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 Hometown’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Hometown’s government
How much does Hometown spend per resident?
About $1,020 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 $1,020 was more than 63% of 166 Illinois cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Hometown?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,663 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.11% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofhometown.org.
Who runs Hometown’s government?
See cityofhometown.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hometown yet.
How did Hometown vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hometown alone. Cook County, where 100% of Hometown lies, voted Harris 68.9%, Trump 27.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Hometown?
6 full-time and 55 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $129,991 (about $1.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Hometown in the state legislature?
State Senate District 16 (Willie Preston) and State House District 31 (Mike Crawford). The House district also covers parts of 10 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Hometown’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 →