Photo: afiler · CC BY-SA 2.0How is Othello run?
Othello’s city government spent $11.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,295 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Othello is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,295 per resident a year, or $3.55 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,202 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Othello’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,202 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 65 Washington cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,189, and the middle half spent $890–$1,504. Othello spent more than 54% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.4 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Washington cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Othello itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Othello reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,202 · 2023: $1,295.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,477 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.85% of the home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Othello’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 Othello’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Othello →
Who’s in charge in Othello
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Othello’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on othellowa.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 156 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (8,739).
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.
Othello School District
Othello’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,746 per pupil, $9,413 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.
Washington districts overall: 27% local, 66% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Othello’s votes are counted by county
Washington reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Othello alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Adams County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican70.2%3,767 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat27.1%1,455 votesOthers: 2.7% (143 votes).
Most votes in Adams County: Donald J Trump
Washington: Harris 57.2%, Trump 39.0%
100% of Othello lies in Adams County. Every 2024 race in Adams County is on the county’s page.
Adams 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
Othello sends 4 representatives to the Washington House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: othellowa.gov ↗
- 2Washington HouseOthello is split between 2 districts
- 3Washington SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Washington
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Othello’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Othello’s government
How much does Othello spend per resident?
About $1,295 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,202 was more than 54% of 65 Washington cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Othello?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,477 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.85% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.81% across Washington. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see othellowa.gov.
Who runs Othello’s government?
See othellowa.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Othello yet.
How did Othello vote in 2024?
Washington counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Othello alone. Adams County, where 100% of Othello lies, voted Trump 70.2%, Harris 27.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Othello?
56 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $384,030 (about $4.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Othello in the state legislature?
Othello is split among 2 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Washington Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Othello’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 →