Photo: Own work · CC BY-SA 3.0Ottertail spent less per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Ottertail’s city government spent $483,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $732 per resident. Water and other utilities ($326,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Ottertail is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$732 per resident in 2022: less than 76% of them
Ottertail’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($732 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,112, and the middle half spent $743–$1,505. Ottertail spent less than 76% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($5,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Ottertail itself left out).
About $732 per resident a year, or $2.01 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Ottertail reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,590 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.78% of the home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Ottertail’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Ottertail’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ottertail →
Who’s in charge in Ottertail
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 94 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (660).
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.
Perham-Dent Public School District
Ottertail’s K–12 school district, shared with Dent, Edna Township, Perham, Perham Township, Richville and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,423 per pupil, $8,464 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.
Minnesota districts overall: 30% local, 62% state, 8% federal.
Henning Public School District · $14,397 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Ottertail’s votes are counted by county
Minnesota reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ottertail alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Otter Tail County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.1%24,276 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.0%11,752 votesOthers: 1.9% (708 votes).
Most votes in Otter Tail County: Donald J Trump
Minnesota: Harris 50.9%, Trump 46.7%
100% of Ottertail lies in Otter Tail County. Every 2024 race in Otter Tail County is on the county’s page.
Otter Tail 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 Ottertail.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Minnesota HouseState representatives
- 3Minnesota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Minnesota
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Ottertail compares with the towns next door
Ottertail spent $732 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Leaf Lake Township | $269 | $2,086 |
| Otter Tail Township | $368 | $3,171 |
| Ottertail | $732 | $2,590 |
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 Ottertail’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Ottertail’s government
How much does Ottertail spend per resident?
About $732 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $732 was less than 76% of 619 Minnesota cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Ottertail?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,590 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.78% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.02% across Minnesota. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Ottertail’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ottertail yet.
How did Ottertail vote in 2024?
Minnesota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ottertail alone. Otter Tail County, where 100% of Ottertail lies, voted Trump 66.1%, Harris 32.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Ottertail?
7 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $15,444 (about $185,328 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ottertail in the state legislature?
State Senate District 9 (Jordan Rasmusson) and State House District 9B (Tom Murphy). The House district also covers 76 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ottertail’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 →