Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Ottawa

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Downtown Ottawa, Kansas historic districtPhoto: Ian Ballinger · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Ottawa

How is Ottawa run?

Ottawa’s city government spent $12.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $987 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Ottawa didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Kansas.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$12.4M
year to December 31, 2023 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2023
$987
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$27.7M
end of 2023 · Census estimate
City staff, 2025
158
full-time · 16 part-time · March payroll $1.2M
Typical tax bill
$3,010
1.81% of home value · KS 1.29%

What stands out about how Ottawa is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer60% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (a Census estimate).A shared school districtShares Ottawa Unified School District 290 with 4 other towns.Its own police and fire28 sworn officers and 20 full-time firefighters on the payroll.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Ottawa’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

  • Oct28
    City CommissionWednesday · 4:00 pm · 101 S. Hickory St.City Commission Meeting - 4th WednesdayMeeting page ↗
  • Oct21
    City CommissionWednesday · 10:00 am · 101 S Hickory St, Ottawa, KS, USACity Commission Meeting - 3rd WednesdayAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct20
    Bid OpeningsTuesday · 1:00 pm · 101 S Hickory St, Ottawa, KS, USABid Opening RFP for Lakeside Estates Shared Use PathMeeting page ↗
  • Oct14
    Planning CommissionWednesday · 7:00 pm · 101 S Hickory St, Ottawa, KS, USAPlanning Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗
  • Oct14
    City CommissionWednesday · 4:00 pm · 101 S Hickory St, Ottawa, KS, USACity Commission Meeting - 2nd WednesdayAgenda ↗Minutes ↗Meeting page ↗
Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2023 budget

About $987 per resident a year, or $2.70 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 23%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 51%Sales taxes 22%Property taxes 15%Fees & charges 9%From the state 1%Interest, fines & other 1%From the federal government <1%Other taxes & licenses <1%
An estimate

Ottawa didn’t report all of its 2023 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $1.2 million; interest on debt $585,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $28.5 million.
About “Other”.27% of Ottawa’s day-to-day spending ($3.3 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Ottawa yet

Every year of Ottawa’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2023. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
City staff
158

full-time in March 2025, down from 159 in 2022.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $3,010 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.81% of the home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Lincoln Township$3,819
Ottawa Township$3,042
Ottawa$3,010
Kansas$2,798
Harrison Township$2,552
$3,010
typical bill a year
1.81%
effective rate
$166,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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 runs it

Who’s in charge in Ottawa

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See ottawaks.gov for Ottawa’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Ottawa yet.ottawaks.gov ↗
Who works for Ottawa

One full-time city employee for every 80 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (12,604).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Water & other utilities33
Police32
Administration & buildings26 + 5 pt
Fire22 + 4 pt
Parks & libraries11 + 4 pt
Roads & transportation10
Sewer & trash10
Courts, inspections & corrections2 + 3 pt
Other12
158
full-time
16
part-time
$1.2M
payroll for March 2025
$14.1M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$88,800
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
28
sworn police officers
20
full-time firefighters
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Ottawa’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Ottawa Unified School District 290

Ottawa’s K–12 school district, shared with Harrison Township, Lincoln Township, Ottawa Township, Hayes Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Ottawa →
$14,248
per pupil · KS $14,966
2,241
students
$79 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,248 per pupil, $8,752 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 22%State 69%Federal 9%

Kansas districts overall: 28% local, 61% state, 11% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Ottawa’s votes are counted by county

Kansas 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 Franklin County’s results.

President · Franklin County’s results12,708 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican69.0%8,773 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat28.9%3,676 votes

Others: 2.0% (259 votes).

Most votes in Franklin County: Donald J Trump

Kansas: Trump 57.2%, Harris 41.0%

The county’s page

100% of Ottawa lies in Franklin County. Every 2024 race in Franklin County is on the county’s page.

Franklin County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Ottawa

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Ottawa.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: ottawaks.gov ↗
  2. 2
    Kansas HouseState representatives
    Rebecca Schmoe
  3. 3
    Kansas SenateState senator
    Rick Kloos
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Laura Kelly
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Sharice Davids
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kansas
    Jerry MoranRoger Marshall

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Ottawa compares with the towns next door

Ottawa’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 0 of the 3 towns next door reported 2022 figures. Tap a town to see its page.

Ottawa Township: no reported 2022 figuresHarrison Township: no reported 2022 figuresLincoln Township: no reported 2022 figuresOttawa TownshipHarrison TownshipLincoln TownshipOttawa
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Ottawa Townshipestimate$3,042
Harrison Townshipestimate$2,552
Lincoln Townshipestimate$3,819
Ottawaestimate$3,010

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.

The Handbook →
Official websiteottawaks.gov ↗

Questions about Ottawa’s government

How much does Ottawa spend per resident?

About $987 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, a Census Bureau estimate (Ottawa didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $28.5 million.

What is the property tax rate in Ottawa?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,010 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.81% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.29% across Kansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ottawaks.gov.

Who runs Ottawa’s government?

See ottawaks.gov 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?

Kansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ottawa alone. Franklin County, where 100% of Ottawa lies, voted Trump 69.0%, Harris 28.9% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Ottawa?

158 full-time and 16 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.2M (about $14.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Ottawa in the state legislature?

State Senate District 3 (Rick Kloos) and State House District 59 (Rebecca Schmoe). The House district also covers 21 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Ottawa?

The next posted meeting is City Commission on Wednesday, November 4, at 7:00 pm in 101 S Hickory St, Ottawa, KS, USA, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Ottawa’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 (for Ottawa, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →