In Ottawa, 91% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Wisconsin
Ottawa’s town government spent $1.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $337 per resident.
What stands out about how Ottawa is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Kettle Moraine School District
Ottawa’s K–12 school district, shared with Dousman, Wales, Delafield, Delafield, Genesee and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,101 per pupil, $9,399 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.
Wisconsin districts overall: 39% local, 50% state, 11% federal.
Mukwonago School District · $12,638 per pupil
Palmyra-Eagle Area School District · $20,335 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $337 per resident a year, or $0.92 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$337 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Ottawa’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($337 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 127 Wisconsin towns and townships of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $358, and the middle half spent $276–$438. Ottawa spent less than 55% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($100,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Wisconsin towns and townships 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).
No trend yet
Ottawa reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $4,453 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.05% of the home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin.
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.
One full-time town employee for every 3,937 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 (3,937).
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.
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 TrumpRepublican67.8%1,844 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.8%838 votesOthers: 1.4% (38 votes).
Most votes in Ottawa: Donald J Trump
Waukesha County: Trump 59.0%, Harris 39.3% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Ottawa’s 2,989 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Ottawa: Eric Hovde
Waukesha County: Hovde 59.8%, Baldwin 38.7% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Scott Fitzgerald
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Ottawa, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | 67.8% | 30.8% | 1.4% | 2,720 |
| Waukesha County | 59.0% | 39.3% | 1.6% | 275,787 |
| Wisconsin | 49.6% | 48.7% | 1.7% | 3,422,918 |
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 townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Wisconsin AssemblyState representatives
- 3Wisconsin SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Wisconsin
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Ottawa compares with the towns next door
Ottawa spent $337 per resident in 2022; the 6 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $332 to $1,022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
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
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Ottawa’s government
How much does Ottawa spend per resident?
About $337 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 $337 was less than 55% of 127 Wisconsin towns and townships 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 $4,453 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.05% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Ottawa’s government?
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 67.8%, Kamala D Harris 30.8% (2,720 votes, official results). Waukesha County: Trump 59.0%, Harris 39.3%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Ottawa?
1 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $17,960 (about $215,520 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Ottawa in the state legislature?
State Senate District 33 (Chris Kapenga) and Assembly District 97 (Cindi Duchow). The Assembly district also covers 17 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 →