Photo: Nyttend · Public domainIn Ottawa, 68% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Ohio
Ottawa’s village government spent $3.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $706 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Ottawa is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
$706 per resident in 2022: less than 71% of them
Ottawa’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($706 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 106 Ohio cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $925, and the middle half spent $666–$1,261. Ottawa spent less than 71% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($918,000), 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Ottawa itself left out).
About $706 per resident a year, or $1.93 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Ottawa reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,761 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.92% 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 Ottawa’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 Ottawa’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ottawa →
Who’s in charge in Ottawa
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Ottawa’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on ottawaohio.us ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 173 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 (4,323).
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.
Ottawa-Glandorf Local School District
Ottawa’s K–12 school district, shared with Glandorf, Ottawa Township, Greensburg Township, Pleasant Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,045 per pupil, $8,025 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 Ottawa voted in 2024
Official results for Ottawa’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican76.6%1,796 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat22.0%516 votesOthers: 1.4% (32 votes).
Most votes in Ottawa: Donald J Trump
Putnam County: Trump 83.9%, Harris 15.2% · Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%
of Ottawa’s 3,457 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Ohio: 64%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Ottawa: Bernie Moreno
Putnam County: Moreno 79.1%, Brown 18.1% · Ohio: Moreno 50.1%, Brown 46.5%
Most votes in the district: Bob Latta
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Ottawa, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | 76.6% | 22.0% | 1.4% | 2,344 |
| Putnam County | 83.9% | 15.2% | 0.9% | 19,754 |
| 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 Ottawa.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ottawaohio.us ↗
- 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 Ottawa compares with the towns next door
Ottawa spent $706 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $786. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Glandorf | $786 | $2,460 |
| Ottawa | $706 | $1,761 |
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 Ottawa’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Ottawa’s government
How much does Ottawa spend per resident?
About $706 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 $706 was less than 71% of 106 Ohio cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Ottawa?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,761 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.92% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.31% across Ohio. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ottawaohio.us.
Who runs Ottawa’s government?
See ottawaohio.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ottawa yet.
How did Ottawa vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 76.6%, Kamala D Harris 22.0% (2,344 votes, official results). Putnam County: Trump 83.9%, Harris 15.2%. Ohio: Trump 55.1%, Harris 43.9%.
How many people work for Ottawa?
25 full-time and 46 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $155,868 (about $1.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ottawa in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Rob McColley) and State House District 82 (Roy Klopfenstein). The House district also covers 83 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Ottawa’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 →