Photo: bogdanstepniak · CC BY 3.0How is Wheeling run?
Wheeling’s village government spent $46.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,225 per resident. Water and other utilities ($10 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wheeling is run
Read from the village’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Wheeling’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov2Village BoardMonday · 6:30 pm · Village Hall Board RoomVillage Board MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov4Plan CommissionWednesday · 6:30 pm · 2 Community Boulevard, 2 Community BoulevardPlan Commission MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov16Village BoardMonday · 6:30 pm · Village Hall Board RoomVillage Board MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov18Plan CommissionWednesday · 6:30 pm · Village Hall Board RoomPlan Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec2Plan CommissionWednesday · 6:30 pm · Village Hall Board RoomPlan Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec7Village BoardMonday · 6:00 pmVillage Board MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct31Village BoardSaturday · 8:30 am · 2 Community BlvdBudget Workshop MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct28Plan CommissionWednesday · 6:30 pm · 2 Community Boulevard, 2 Community BoulevardPlan Commission Meeting-CANCELLEDMeeting page ↗
- Oct21Board of Fire and Police CommissionersWednesday · 1:00 pmBOFPC-Notice of CancellationAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct19Village BoardMonday · 6:30 pm · Village Hall Board RoomVillage Board MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct14Plan CommissionWednesday · 6:30 pm · Village Hall Board Room, 2 Community BoulevardPlan Commission MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,225 per resident a year, or $3.36 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 38%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,121 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Wheeling’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,121 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 44 Illinois cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,158, and the middle half spent $937–$1,570. Wheeling spent less than 57% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($523,000), 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 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wheeling itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 6% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Wheeling 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: $1,121 · 2024: $1,225.
full-time in March 2025, up from 229 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $6,029 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.26% 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 Wheeling’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 Wheeling’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wheeling →
Who’s in charge in Wheeling
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 158 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (37,936).
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.
Township High School District 214
Wheeling’s high school district, shared with Mount Prospect, Wheeling Township, Elk Grove Township, Arlington Heights, Prospect Heights and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $27,472 per pupil, $15,756 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.
Wheeling Community Consolidated School District 21 · $23,618 per pupil
Prospect Heights School District 23 · $21,494 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Wheeling’s votes are counted by county
Illinois reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Wheeling 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 Wheeling lies in Cook County; the rest in Lake 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 Wheeling.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: vi.wheeling.il.us ↗
- 2Illinois HouseWheeling 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.
How Wheeling compares with the towns next door
Wheeling spent $1,121 per resident in 2022; the 7 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $19 to $1,926. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Wheeling Township | $19 | $8,190 |
| Northfield Township | $46 | $10,000+ |
| Vernon Township | $63 | $10,000+ |
| Prospect Heights | $592 | $7,289 |
| Arlington Heights | $1,062 | $8,759 |
| Buffalo Grove | $1,325 | $10,000+ |
| Northbrook | $1,926 | $10,000+ |
| Wheeling | $1,121 | $6,029 |
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 Wheeling’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wheeling’s government
How much does Wheeling spend per resident?
About $1,225 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,121 was less than 57% of 44 Illinois cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wheeling?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,029 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.26% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.01% across Illinois. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see vi.wheeling.il.us.
Who runs Wheeling’s government?
See vi.wheeling.il.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wheeling yet.
How did Wheeling vote in 2024?
Illinois counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Wheeling alone. Cook County, where 100% of Wheeling lies, voted Harris 68.9%, Trump 27.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Wheeling?
240 full-time and 20 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.6M (about $31.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Wheeling in the state legislature?
Wheeling 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.
When is the next public meeting in Wheeling?
The next posted meeting is Village Board on Monday, November 2, at 6:30 pm in Village Hall Board Room, from the village’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Wheeling’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 →