Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0How is Wausau run?
Wausau’s city government spent $65.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,654 per resident. Water and other utilities ($10.5 million) are counted separately.
Board of Public Works
10:30 am · Wausau City Hall — Council Chambers, 407 Grant Street
All meetings →What stands out about how Wausau is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
6 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Wausau’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov4Board of Public WorksWednesday · 10:30 am · Wausau City Hall — Council Chambers, 407 Grant StreetBoard of Public Works MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov4Water Works CommissionWednesday · 11:30 am · Wausau City Hall — Council Chambers, 407 Grant StreetWater Works Commission MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov4Economic Development CommitteeWednesday · 5:15 pm · Wausau City Hall — Council Chambers, 407 Grant StreetEconomic Development Committee MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov5Police & Fire CommissionThursday · 7:30 am · 515 Grand AvenuePolice & Fire Commission Special MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov5Sustainability, Energy & Environment CommitteeThursday · 5:00 pm · Wausau City Hall — Maple Room, 407 Grant StreetSustainability, Energy & Environment Committee MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov9Human Resources CommitteeMonday · 4:45 pm · Wausau City Hall — Council Chambers, 407 Grant StreetHuman Resources Committee MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Nov3Common CouncilTuesday · 11:00 am · 700 Grand AvenuePossible Quorum of the Common CouncilAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Nov2Parks & Recreation CommitteeMonday · 5:15 pm · Wausau City Hall — Council Chambers, 407 Grant StreetParks & Recreation Committee Meeting - CANCELLEDMeeting page ↗
- Oct28Historic Preservation CommissionWednesday · 4:30 pm · Wausau City Hall — Maple Room, 407 Grant StreetCANCELED - Historic Preservation Commission MeetingMeeting page ↗
- Oct27Common CouncilTuesday · 6:30 pm · Wausau City Hall — Council Chambers, 407 Grant StreetCommon Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct27Finance CommitteeTuesday · 5:15 pm · Wausau City Hall — Council Chambers, 407 Grant StreetFinance Committee MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,654 per resident a year, or $4.53 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,244 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Wausau’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,244 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 21 Wisconsin cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,227, and the middle half spent $1,125–$1,533. Wausau spent more than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($7.7 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 →
Wisconsin cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wausau itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 38% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Wausau 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: $1,244 · 2023: $1,461 · 2024: $1,654.
full-time in March 2025, up from 308 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,127 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.86% 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 Wausau’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 Wausau’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wausau →
Who’s in charge in Wausau
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 124 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (39,833).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Wausau School District
Wausau’s K–12 school district, shared with Hewitt, Maine, Rib Mountain, Texas, Berlin and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,367 per pupil, $9,206 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.
D.C. Everest Area School District · $12,875 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Wausau voted in 2024
Official results for Wausau’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat53.0%10,229 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican45.3%8,749 votesOthers: 1.7% (321 votes).
Most votes in Wausau: Kamala D Harris
Marathon County: Trump 58.6%, Harris 40.0% · Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%
of Wausau’s 30,125 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Wisconsin: 76%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Wausau: Tammy Baldwin
Marathon County: Hovde 57.2%, Baldwin 40.7% · Wisconsin: Baldwin 49.3%, Hovde 48.5%
Most votes in the district: Tom Tiffany
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Wausau, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wausau | 53.0% | 45.3% | 1.7% | 19,299 |
| Marathon County | 40.0% | 58.6% | 1.4% | 78,826 |
| Wisconsin | 48.7% | 49.6% | 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 Wausau.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: ci.wausau.wi.us ↗
- 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 Wausau compares with the towns next door
Wausau spent $1,244 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.
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 Wausau’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Wausau’s government
How much does Wausau spend per resident?
About $1,654 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,244 was more than 52% of 21 Wisconsin cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Wausau?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,127 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.86% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.42% across Wisconsin. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see ci.wausau.wi.us.
Who runs Wausau’s government?
See ci.wausau.wi.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wausau yet.
How did Wausau vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 53.0%, Donald J Trump 45.3% (19,299 votes, official results). Marathon County: Trump 58.6%, Harris 40.0%. Wisconsin: Trump 49.6%, Harris 48.7%.
How many people work for Wausau?
322 full-time and 41 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.3M (about $27.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wausau in the state legislature?
State Senate District 29 (Cory Tomczyk) and Assembly District 85 (Pat Snyder). The Assembly district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Wausau?
The next posted meeting is Board of Public Works on Wednesday, November 4, at 10:30 am in Wausau City Hall — Council Chambers, 407 Grant Street, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Wausau’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 →