Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHow is Clay Center run?
Clay Center’s village government spent $112,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $375 per resident.
What stands out about how Clay Center is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
Genoa Area Local School District
Clay Center’s K–12 school district, shared with Genoa, Allen Township, Clay Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,216 per pupil, $8,187 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.
About $375 per resident a year, or $1.03 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 42%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$375 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Clay Center’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($375 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 320 Ohio cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $460, and the middle half spent $251–$774. Clay Center spent less than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($13,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Ohio cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Clay Center itself left out).
No trend yet
Clay Center reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,393 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.18% 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 Clay Center’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 Clay Center’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Clay Center →
Who’s in charge in Clay Center
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 299 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 (299).
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.
Clay Center’s votes are counted by county
Ohio reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Clay Center alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Ottawa County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican62.1%14,872 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.0%8,866 votesOthers: 0.9% (218 votes).
Most votes in Ottawa County: Donald J Trump
Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%
100% of Clay Center lies in Ottawa County. Every 2024 race in Ottawa County is on the county’s page.
Ottawa 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 Clay Center.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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.
Reach Clay Center’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Clay Center’s government
How much does Clay Center spend per resident?
About $375 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 $375 was less than 63% of 320 Ohio cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Clay Center?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,393 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.18% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.31% across Ohio. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the village’s assessor.
Who runs Clay Center’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Clay Center yet.
How did Clay Center vote in 2024?
Ohio counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Clay Center alone. Ottawa County, where 100% of Clay Center lies, voted Trump 62.1%, Harris 37.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Clay Center?
1 full-time and 16 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $9,436 (about $113,232 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Clay Center in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Theresa Gavarone) and State House District 44 (Josh Williams). The House district also covers 19 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Clay Center’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 →