Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHow is Oblong run?
Oblong’s village government spent $719,000 on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2022, about $530 per resident. Water and other utilities ($438,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Oblong is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $530 per resident a year, or $1.45 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 23%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$530 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Oblong’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($530 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. Oblong spent more than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($105,000), as the Census Bureau counts 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; Oblong itself left out).
No trend yet
Oblong reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,114 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.34% 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 Oblong’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 Oblong’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Oblong →
Who’s in charge in Oblong
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Oblong’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on villageofoblong.com ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 151 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 (1,357).
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.
Oblong Community Unit School District 4
Oblong’s K–12 school district, shared with Stoy, Oblong Township, Martin Township, Licking Township, Ste. Marie Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,045 per pupil, $8,208 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.
Oblong’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Oblong alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Crawford County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican75.1%6,727 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat22.9%2,048 votesOthers: 2.1% (187 votes).
Most votes in Crawford County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Oblong lies in Crawford County. Every 2024 race in Crawford County is on the county’s page.
Crawford 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 Oblong.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: villageofoblong.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.
Reach Oblong’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Oblong’s government
How much does Oblong spend per resident?
About $530 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 $530 was more than 53% of 637 Illinois cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Oblong?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,114 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.34% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see villageofoblong.com.
Who runs Oblong’s government?
See villageofoblong.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Oblong yet.
How did Oblong vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Oblong alone. Crawford County, where 100% of Oblong lies, voted Trump 75.1%, Harris 22.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Oblong?
9 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $33,273 (about $399,276 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Oblong in the state legislature?
State Senate District 51 (Chapin Rose) and State House District 102 (Adam Niemerg). The House district also covers 138 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Oblong’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 →