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RRGBDSC05940 - Downtown Tomah east side of SuperiorPhoto: RRGreenough · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Tomah

Tomah spent more per resident in 2022 than 67% of similar cities

Tomah’s city government spent $13.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,422 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.7 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Wisconsin.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$13.6M
year to December 31, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$1,422
In 2022: $1,350, more than 67% of 134 similar cities
Long-term debt
$37.8M
end of 2023, reported
City staff, 2025
92
full-time · 92 part-time · March payroll $614,319
Typical tax bill
$2,600
1.49% of home value · WI 1.42%

What stands out about how Tomah is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$1,350 per resident in 2022: more than 67% of them

Tomah’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,350 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 134 Wisconsin cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,174, and the middle half spent $990–$1,415. Tomah spent more than 67% of them.

Middle half of the group, $990–$1,415Median $1,174Tomah

Includes sewer and trash ($2.5 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 →

The group
134

Wisconsin cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Tomah itself left out).

Your share of the 2023 budget

About $1,422 per resident a year, or $3.90 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 22%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 29%Property taxes 28%From the state 15%Utility sales 12%Interest, fines & other 8%Sales taxes 3%From other local governments 2%From the federal government 1%Other taxes & licenses 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $10.7 million; interest on debt $179,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $27.2 million.
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 8% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Tomah reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$12.6 million
2023$13.6 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,350 · 2023: $1,422.

City staff
92

full-time in March 2025, up from 89 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $2,600 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.49% of the home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Wisconsin$3,792
La Grange$2,956
Tomah$2,600
$2,600
typical bill a year
1.49%
effective rate
$174,300
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Tomah

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

See tomahonline.com for Tomah’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Tomah yet.tomahonline.com ↗
Agendas

Tomah’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on tomahonline.com ↗.

Who works for Tomah

One full-time city employee for every 104 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (9,556).

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

Police24 + 6 pt
Health & welfare18 + 11 pt
Parks & libraries10 + 20 pt
Administration & buildings8 + 23 pt
Fire2 + 31 pt
Sewer & trash13
Water & other utilities9
Roads & transportation7
Courts, inspections & corrections1 + 1 pt
92
full-time
92
part-time
$614,319
payroll for March 2025
$7.4M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$73,000
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
16
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Tomah had 9.5 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 108 of the 134 Wisconsin cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 6.3: Tomah had more than 85% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

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

Tomah Area School District

Tomah’s K–12 school district, shared with Bear Bluff, Byron, Camp Douglas, Kingston, La Grange and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Tomah →
$14,085
per pupil · WI $16,459
3,096
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $14,085 per pupil, $8,555 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 29%State 60%Federal 11%

Wisconsin districts overall: 39% local, 50% state, 11% federal.

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

Elections · 2024 general election

How Tomah voted in 2024

Official results for Tomah’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.

President4,338 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican58.2%2,524 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat40.2%1,745 votes

Others: 1.6% (69 votes).

Most votes in Tomah: Donald J Trump

Monroe County: Trump 62.3%, Harris 36.3% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%

Turnout
59%

of Tomah’s 7,375 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.

Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).

U.S. Senate4,289 votes
Eric HovdeRepublican55.1%
Tammy BaldwinDemocrat41.7%
Others3.2%

Most votes in Tomah: Eric Hovde

Monroe County: Hovde 59.8%, Baldwin 37.3% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%

U.S. House, 2024: 2 districts cover Tomah, so your street decides which race was yours. All 2 districts’ results →

President, 2024: Tomah, its county and the state

TrumpHarrisOthersVotes
Tomah58.2%40.2%1.6%4,338
Monroe County62.3%36.3%1.4%23,369
Wisconsin49.6%48.7%1.7%3,422,918
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 Tomah

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Tomah.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    Wisconsin AssemblyState representatives
  3. 3
    Wisconsin SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseSplit between districts
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Wisconsin

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

Next door

How Tomah compares with the towns next door

Tomah spent $1,350 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
La Grange$452$2,956
Tomah$1,350$2,600

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 Tomah’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Tomah’s government

How much does Tomah spend per resident?

About $1,422 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 $1,350 was more than 67% of 134 Wisconsin cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Tomah?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,600 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.49% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see tomahonline.com.

Who runs Tomah’s government?

See tomahonline.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Tomah yet.

How did Tomah vote in 2024?

For president, Donald J Trump 58.2%, Kamala D Harris 40.2% (4,338 votes, official results). Monroe County: Trump 62.3%, Harris 36.3%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.

How many people work for Tomah?

92 full-time and 92 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $614,319 (about $7.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Tomah in the state legislature?

State Senate District 24 (Patrick Testin) and Assembly District 70 (Nancy VanderMeer). The Assembly district also covers 58 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Tomah’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; 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 →