Town Hall · Sterling

Sterling, IL town hall & government

Sterling spent $312 million in the year to April 30, 2024, about $21,422 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Sterling's government.

Meetings

Coming up at Sterling's town hall

  • Oct 5Mon · 6:30 pm
    City CouncilCity Council MeetingSterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd Avenue Meeting page ↗
  • Oct 6Tue · 7:00 pm
    Sterling Public Library BoardSterling Public Library Board MeetingSterling Public Library 102 West 3rd Street Meeting page ↗
  • Oct 6Tue · 7:00 pm
    Sterling Public Library BoardSterling Public Library Board MeetingSterling Public Library 102 West 3rd Street Meeting page ↗
  • Oct 13Tue · 6:00 pm
    Plan CommissionSterling Municipal BandSterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd Avenue Meeting page ↗
  • Oct 13Tue · 6:00 pm
    Plan CommissionSterling Municipal BandSterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd Avenue Meeting page ↗
  • Oct 13Tue · 6:00 pm
    Plan CommissionSterling Municipal BandSterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd Avenue Meeting page ↗

Recent meetings

  • Sep 24Thu · 6:30 pm
    Plan Commission212 3rd Avenue Agenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Sep 24Thu · 1:30 pm
    Sterling Riverfront CommissionRiverfront Commission212 3rd Avenue Meeting page ↗
  • Sep 21Mon · 6:30 pm
    City CouncilCity Council MeetingSterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd Avenue Agenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Sep 17Thu · 6:30 pm
    Plan CommissionPlan Commission MeetingSterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd Avenue Meeting page ↗
  • Sep 8Tue · 6:30 pm
    City CouncilCity Council MeetingSterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd Avenue Agenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Sep 8Tue · 6:00 pm
    Plan CommissionSterling Municipal BandSterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd Avenue Meeting page ↗
  • Sep 8Tue · 6:00 pm
    Plan CommissionSterling Municipal BandSterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd Avenue Agenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Sep 8Tue · 6:00 pm
    Plan CommissionSterling Municipal BandSterling City Hall Council Chambers, 212 3rd Avenue Meeting page ↗

Official listings from Sterling's agenda portal ↗, checked daily. Times are local. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check the portal before you go.

Town budget

Where Sterling's money goes

Spent
$312 million
fiscal year to April 30, 2024
Per resident
$21,422
typical Illinois cities: $2,513
Long-term debt
$91.1 million
$6,253 per resident
Health & welfare
$273.9 million88%
Interest on debt
$3.9 million1%
Police
$3.6 million1%
Fire
$2.5 million1%
Roads & transportation
$2.1 million1%
Parks & libraries
$1.1 million<1%
Administration & buildings
$780,000<1%
Other
$24.1 million8%

Where the money comes from

  • Fees & charges 86%
  • Interest, fines & other 7%
  • From the state 3%
  • Property taxes 2%
  • Sales taxes 1%
  • Other taxes & licenses <1%
  • From other local governments <1%
  • From the federal government <1%
Town workforce

Who works for Sterling

Full-time staff
1,470
205 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$91,100
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
23
and 18 full-time firefighters
Health & welfare
1,376 full-time188 part
Police
31 full-time
Fire
19 full-time
Administration & buildings
13 full-time9 part
Roads & transportation
15 full-time
Parks & libraries
4 full-time8 part
Sewer & trash
5 full-time
Other
7 full-time

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2025. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Sterling Community Unit District 5

Sterling's K–12 school district, shared with Coleta, Sterling, Hopkins, Jordan, Genesee and Palmyra. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$15,512
Illinois: $21,567
Students
3,228
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$34 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from Illinois districts overall: 52% local, 38% state, 10% federal

  • Local 37%
  • State 55%
  • Federal 8%

Of the $15,512 per pupil, $9,753 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Property tax

What homeowners in Sterling pay

Typical tax bill
$2,588
a year · Illinois typical $5,298
Effective rate
2.38%
of home value · Illinois 2.01%
Typical home value
$108,700
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Local

Contact Sterling's government

🏛️ Official websiteci.sterling.il.us ↗

Town hall & decisions in Sterling →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Sterling

Sterling is represented in Congress by Senators Richard J. Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and Representative Eric Sorensen. J. B. Pritzker is governor.

All of Sterling's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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Sterling

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