Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Ontario

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
James Rowley and Mary J. Blackaby HouseJames Rowley and Mary J. Blackaby House · Photo: Visitor7 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Ontario

How is Ontario run?

Ontario’s city government spent $11.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $975 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Ontario didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Next public meeting

Planning Commission

6:00 pm · 444 SW 4th St

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$11.3M
year to June 30, 2023 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2023
$975
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$2.9M
end of FY2023 · Census estimate
City staff, 2025
46
full-time · 28 part-time · March payroll $395,040 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$1,814
0.77% of home value · OR 0.81%

What stands out about how Ontario is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer34% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (a Census estimate).Its own police and fire27 sworn officers and 9 full-time firefighters on the payroll.Lower tax billsThe typical bill is $1,814 a year: 0.77% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Ontario’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2023 budget

About $975 per resident a year, or $2.67 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 30%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 21%Utility sales 21%Property taxes 20%Sales taxes 17%From the state 12%Interest, fines & other 6%From other local governments 2%Other taxes & licenses 2%
An estimate

Ontario didn’t report all of its 2023 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Building projects $5.5 million; interest on debt $172,000; payments to other governments $368,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $19.9 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Ontario yet

Every year of Ontario’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2023. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
City staff
46

full-time in March 2025, up from 44 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,814 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.77% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Oregon$3,876
Ontario$1,814
$1,814
typical bill a year
0.77%
effective rate
$236,300
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Ontario’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 Ontario’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Ontario →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Ontario

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See ontariooregon.org for Ontario’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Ontario yet.ontariooregon.org ↗
Who works for Ontario

One full-time city employee for every 253 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (11,626).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police30 + 1 pt
Fire10 + 20 pt
Administration & buildings4 + 6 pt
Housing & development1
Roads & transportation0 + 1 pt
Other1
46
full-time
28
part-time
$395,040
payroll for March 2025
$4.7M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$98,700
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
27
sworn police officers
9
full-time firefighters
Estimates.Ontario didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Ontario School District 8

Ontario’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Ontario →
$18,176
per pupil · OR $17,749
2,211
students
$22.5 million
long-term debt

Of the $18,176 per pupil, $9,794 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 17%State 54%Federal 29%

Oregon districts overall: 38% local, 52% state, 10% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Ontario’s votes are counted by county

Oregon reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ontario alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Malheur County’s results.

President · Malheur County’s results10,945 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican70.4%7,710 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat26.3%2,884 votes

Others: 3.2% (351 votes).

Most votes in Malheur County: Donald J Trump

Oregon: Harris 55.3%, Trump 41.0%

The county’s page

100% of Ontario lies in Malheur County. Every 2024 race in Malheur County is on the county’s page.

Malheur County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Ontario

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Ontario.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: ontariooregon.org ↗
  2. 2
    Oregon HouseState representatives
    Mark Owens
  3. 3
    Oregon SenateState senator
    Mike McLane
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Tina Kotek
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Cliff Bentz
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Oregon
    Ron WydenJeff Merkley

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Ontario’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websiteontariooregon.org ↗

Questions about Ontario’s government

How much does Ontario spend per resident?

About $975 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, a Census Bureau estimate (Ontario didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $19.9 million.

What is the property tax rate in Ontario?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,814 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.77% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Oregon. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ontariooregon.org.

Who runs Ontario’s government?

See ontariooregon.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Ontario yet.

How did Ontario vote in 2024?

Oregon counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Ontario alone. Malheur County, where 100% of Ontario lies, voted Trump 70.4%, Harris 26.3% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Ontario?

46 full-time and 28 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $395,040 (about $4.7M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Ontario in the state legislature?

State Senate District 30 (Mike McLane) and State House District 60 (Mark Owens). The House district also covers 24 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Ontario?

The next posted meeting is Planning Commission on Monday, November 9, at 6:00 pm in 444 SW 4th St, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Ontario’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 Ontario, 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 →