Photo: IvoShandor · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Pontiac run?
Pontiac’s city government spent $13.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2022, about $1,211 per resident. The airport ($182,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Pontiac is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,211 per resident a year, or $3.32 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,211 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Pontiac’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,211 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–$1,485. Pontiac spent more than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.6 million), 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; Pontiac itself left out).
No trend yet
Pontiac reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,495 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.15% 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 Pontiac’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 Pontiac’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Pontiac →
Who’s in charge in Pontiac
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Pontiac’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on pontiac.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 143 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (11,176).
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.
Pontiac Community Consolidated School District 429
Pontiac’s elementary school district, shared with Pontiac Township, Eppards Point Township, Owego Township, Esmen Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $19,487 per pupil, $11,471 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.
Pontiac Township High School District 90 · $21,527 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Pontiac’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pontiac alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Livingston County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican72.0%11,970 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat25.9%4,311 votesOthers: 2.1% (351 votes).
Most votes in Livingston County: Donald J Trump
Illinois: Harris 54.4%, Trump 43.5%
100% of Pontiac lies in Livingston County. Every 2024 race in Livingston County is on the county’s page.
Livingston 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 Pontiac.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: pontiac.org ↗
- 2Illinois HousePontiac is split between 2 districts
- 3Illinois SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Illinois
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Pontiac’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Pontiac’s government
How much does Pontiac spend per resident?
About $1,211 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,211 was more than 58% of 97 Illinois cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Pontiac?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,495 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.15% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see pontiac.org.
Who runs Pontiac’s government?
See pontiac.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Pontiac yet.
How did Pontiac vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pontiac alone. Livingston County, where 100% of Pontiac lies, voted Trump 72.0%, Harris 25.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Pontiac?
78 full-time and 53 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $469,424 (about $5.6M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Pontiac in the state legislature?
Pontiac is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Illinois Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 53 (Chris Balkema). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Pontiac’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 →