Photo: Fogonthedowns at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Grand Rapids run?
Grand Rapids’ village government spent $402,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $400 per resident. Water and other utilities ($307,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Grand Rapids is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $400 per resident a year, or $1.10 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 61%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$400 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Grand Rapids’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($400 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. Grand Rapids spent less than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($116,000), 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; Grand Rapids itself left out).
No trend yet
Grand Rapids reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $2,257 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.30% 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 Grand Rapids’ 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 Grand Rapids’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Grand Rapids →
Who’s in charge in Grand Rapids
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time village employee for every 503 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 (1,006).
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.
Otsego Local School District
Grand Rapids’ K–12 school district, shared with Grand Rapids Township, Haskins, Tontogany, Washington Township, Weston Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,712 per pupil, $8,052 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.
Grand Rapids’ votes are counted by county
Ohio reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Grand Rapids alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Wood County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican54.6%36,877 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat44.4%30,016 votesOthers: 1.0% (672 votes).
Most votes in Wood County: Donald J Trump
Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%
100% of Grand Rapids lies in Wood County. Every 2024 race in Wood County is on the county’s page.
Wood 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 Grand Rapids.
- 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.
How Grand Rapids compares with the towns next door
Grand Rapids spent $400 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $135. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids Township | $135 | $2,401 |
| Providence Township | estimate | $2,771 |
| Grand Rapids | $400 | $2,257 |
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 Grand Rapids’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Grand Rapids’ government
How much does Grand Rapids spend per resident?
About $400 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 $400 was less than 58% of 320 Ohio cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Grand Rapids?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,257 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.30% 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 Grand Rapids’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Grand Rapids yet.
How did Grand Rapids vote in 2024?
Ohio counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Grand Rapids alone. Wood County, where 100% of Grand Rapids lies, voted Trump 54.6%, Harris 44.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Grand Rapids?
2 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $14,201 (about $170,412 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Grand Rapids in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Theresa Gavarone) and State House District 75 (Haraz Ghanbari). The House district also covers 42 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Grand Rapids’ 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 →