Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHow is Forest run?
Forest’s village government spent $4.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $3,019 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Forest didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Forest is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
Riverdale Local School District
Forest’s K–12 school district, shared with Delaware Township, Mount Blanchard, Patterson, Richland Township, Wharton and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,626 per pupil, $8,353 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 $3,019 per resident a year, or $8.27 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: fire, at 56%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Forest 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 Forest yet
Every year of Forest’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the village 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 $1,090 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.97% 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 Forest’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 Forest’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Forest →
Who’s in charge in Forest
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 144 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,444).
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.
Forest’s votes are counted by county
Ohio reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Forest alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Hardin County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican76.9%9,911 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat22.2%2,863 votesOthers: 0.9% (119 votes).
Most votes in Hardin County: Donald J Trump
Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%
100% of Forest lies in Hardin County. Every 2024 race in Hardin County is on the county’s page.
Hardin 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 Forest.
- 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 Forest’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Forest’s government
How much does Forest spend per resident?
About $3,019 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Forest didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $4.7 million.
What is the property tax rate in Forest?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,090 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.97% 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 Forest’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Forest yet.
How did Forest vote in 2024?
Ohio counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Forest alone. Hardin County, where 100% of Forest lies, voted Trump 76.9%, Harris 22.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Forest?
10 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $37,378 (about $448,536 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Forest in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Rob McColley) and State House District 83 (Ty Mathews). The House district also covers 66 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Forest’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 Forest, 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 →