Photo: Gargiulo · Public domainHow is Three Oaks run?
Three Oaks’ village government spent $1.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2023, about $1,311 per resident.
What stands out about how Three Oaks is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $1,311 per resident a year, or $3.59 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 50%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,090 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Three Oaks’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,090 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 291 Michigan cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,078, and the middle half spent $748–$1,663. Three Oaks spent more than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($815,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Michigan cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Three Oaks itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 9% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Three Oaks 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: $1,090 · 2023: $1,311. Per resident it went from $1,090 to $1,311 (up 20%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,540 to 1,397.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,936 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.90% of the home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Three Oaks’ 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 Three Oaks’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Three Oaks →
Who’s in charge in Three Oaks
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 233 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,397).
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.
River Valley School District
Three Oaks’ K–12 school district, shared with Galien, Three Oaks Township, Chikaming Township, Weesaw Township, Galien Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $21,915 per pupil, $11,973 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.
Michigan districts overall: 34% local, 57% state, 9% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Three Oaks’ votes are counted by county
Michigan reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Three Oaks alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Berrien County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican53.2%44,975 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat45.4%38,323 votesOthers: 1.4% (1,190 votes).
Most votes in Berrien County: Donald J Trump
Michigan: Trump 49.7%, Harris 48.3%
100% of Three Oaks lies in Berrien County. Every 2024 race in Berrien County is on the county’s page.
Berrien 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 Three Oaks.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Michigan HouseState representatives
- 3Michigan SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Michigan
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Three Oaks’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Three Oaks’ government
How much does Three Oaks spend per resident?
About $1,311 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to February 28, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,090 was more than 52% of 291 Michigan cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Three Oaks?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,936 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.90% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.25% across Michigan. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.
Who runs Three Oaks’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Three Oaks yet.
How did Three Oaks vote in 2024?
Michigan counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Three Oaks alone. Berrien County, where 100% of Three Oaks lies, voted Trump 53.2%, Harris 45.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Three Oaks?
6 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $34,566 (about $414,792 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Three Oaks in the state legislature?
State Senate District 17 (Jonathan Lindsey) and State House District 37 (Brad Paquette). The House district also covers 24 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Three Oaks’ 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 →