Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY-SA 3.0Ottawa spent more per resident in 2022 than 92% of similar cities
Ottawa’s city government spent $33.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, about $1,809 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Ottawa is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,990 per resident in 2022: more than 92% of them
Ottawa’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,990 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,094, and the middle half spent $794–$1,484. Ottawa spent more than 92% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($272,000), 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Ottawa itself left out).
About $1,809 per resident a year, or $4.96 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 6% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Ottawa reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,990 · 2024: $1,809.
full-time in March 2025, up from 148 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,011 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.60% 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 Ottawa’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 Ottawa’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ottawa →
Who’s in charge in Ottawa
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Ottawa’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofottawa.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 112 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (18,668).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Ottawa Township High School District 140
Ottawa’s high school district, shared with Dayton Township, Fall River Township, Freedom Township, Grand Ridge, Naplate and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $18,784 per pupil, $11,079 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.
Ottawa Elementary School District 141 · $18,096 per pupil
Rutland Community Consolidated School District 230 · $30,971 per pupil
Wallace Community Consolidated School District 195 · $17,088 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Ottawa’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ottawa alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are LaSalle County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican58.2%30,717 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.9%21,029 votesOthers: 1.9% (1,018 votes).
Most votes in LaSalle County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Ottawa lies in LaSalle County. Every 2024 race in LaSalle County is on the county’s page.
LaSalle 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 Ottawa.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofottawa.org ↗
- 2Illinois HouseOttawa is split between 2 districts
- 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 Ottawa compares with the towns next door
Ottawa spent $1,990 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Township | $75 | $3,551 |
| Rutland Township | $91 | $4,538 |
| Dayton Township | $162 | $5,637 |
| Wallace Township | $233 | $4,833 |
| Naplate | $572 | $2,760 |
| Ottawa | $1,990 | $4,011 |
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 Ottawa’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Ottawa’s government
How much does Ottawa spend per resident?
About $1,809 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to April 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,990 was more than 92% of 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Ottawa?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,011 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.60% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofottawa.org.
Who runs Ottawa’s government?
See cityofottawa.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ottawa yet.
How did Ottawa vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ottawa alone. LaSalle County, where 100% of Ottawa lies, voted Trump 58.2%, Harris 39.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Ottawa?
166 full-time and 42 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $15.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ottawa in the state legislature?
Ottawa is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Illinois Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ottawa’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 →