Photo: Roland Penttila · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Ashtabula run?
Ashtabula’s city government spent $18 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,004 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Ashtabula didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Ashtabula is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
3 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Ashtabula’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov2City CouncilMonday · 6:00 pm · 4230 Lake AvenuePre-Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov2City CouncilMonday · 7:00 pm · 4230 Lake AvenueRegular Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov4Community Development/Economic Development/Parks & Recreation CommitteeWednesday · 6:00 pm · 4230 Lake AvenueCommunity Development / Economic Development / Parks and Recreation Committee MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct27Public Works/Public Utilities/Cable/Schools CommitteeTuesday · 8:30 am · 4230 Lake AvenuePublic Works / Public Utilities / Cable / Schools Committee MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct19City CouncilMonday · 7:00 pm · 4230 Lake AvenueRegular Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct19City CouncilMonday · 6:00 pm · 4230 Lake AvenuePre-Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct15Finance & Personnel CommitteeThursday · 8:30 am · 4230 Lake AvenueFinance and Personnel Committee MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct13City CouncilTuesday · 10:00 am · 4230 Lake AvenueSpecial Council MeetingAgenda ↗Minutes ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,004 per resident a year, or $2.75 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Ashtabula didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Ashtabula yet
Every year of Ashtabula’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,423 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.34% of the home’s value, vs 1.31% across Ohio.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Ashtabula’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 Ashtabula’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ashtabula →
Who’s in charge in Ashtabula
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 126 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 (17,917).
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.
Ashtabula Area City School District
Ashtabula’s K–12 school district, shared with Saybrook Township, Plymouth Township, Ashtabula Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,984 per pupil, $8,147 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.
Ohio districts overall: 53% local, 35% state, 12% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Ashtabula voted in 2024
Official results for Ashtabula’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican49.6%2,944 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat49.3%2,927 votesOthers: 1.1% (65 votes).
Most votes in Ashtabula: Donald J Trump
Ashtabula County: Trump 63.8%, Harris 35.4% · Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%
of Ashtabula’s 13,572 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Ohio: 64%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Ashtabula: Sherrod Brown
Ashtabula County: Moreno 56.5%, Brown 39.3% · Ohio: Moreno 50.1%, Brown 46.5%
Most votes in the district: David P Joyce
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Ashtabula, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashtabula | 49.6% | 49.3% | 1.1% | 5,936 |
| Ashtabula County | 63.8% | 35.4% | 0.8% | 43,368 |
| Ohio | 55.1% | 43.9% | 0.9% | 5,767,788 |
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 Ashtabula.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofashtabula.com ↗
- 2Ohio HouseState representatives
- 3Ohio SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Ohio
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Ashtabula compares with the towns next door
Ashtabula’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 2 of the 2 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $66 to $350 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Ashtabula Township | $66 | $1,300 |
| Saybrook Township | $350 | $2,244 |
| Ashtabula | estimate | $1,423 |
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 Ashtabula’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Ashtabula’s government
How much does Ashtabula spend per resident?
About $1,004 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Ashtabula didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $24.1 million.
What is the property tax rate in Ashtabula?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,423 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.34% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.31% across Ohio. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofashtabula.com.
Who runs Ashtabula’s government?
See cityofashtabula.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ashtabula yet.
How did Ashtabula vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 49.6%, Kamala D Harris 49.3% (5,936 votes, official results). Ashtabula County: Trump 63.8%, Harris 35.4%. Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%.
How many people work for Ashtabula?
142 full-time and 25 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $773,707 (about $9.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ashtabula in the state legislature?
State Senate District 32 (Sandy O'Brien) and State House District 99 (Sarah Fowler Arthur). The House district also covers 28 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Ashtabula?
The next posted meeting is City Council on Monday, November 2, at 6:00 pm in 4230 Lake Avenue, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Ashtabula’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 (for Ashtabula, 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 →