The price of local government in 2017: City of West Chicago

The City of West Chicago budget was $31.95 million for its 2017 fiscal year, or $5,649 per household.

That's a decrease of 38.6 percent from 2016, when the city spent $52.06 million, or $9,205 per household.

West Chicago has 5,656 households and a population of 27,086.

Since 2001, the City of West Chicago budget has fallen by 15.4 percent, from $37.79 million. The city population has grown 15.4 percent over the same period, from 23,469.

Salaries accounted for 34.1 percent of city spending in 2017. West Chicago property taxpayers paid $10.91 million for 115 full-time employees and one part-time employee.

In 2001, the city had 134 full-time employees and 17 part-time employees, and spent $9.80 million.

All values in this story are inflation-adjusted real values.