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City Hall, Clay ALPhoto: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Clay

Clay spent less per resident in 2022 than 100% of similar cities

Clay’s city government spent $2.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $240 per resident.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Alabama.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$2.5M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$240
In 2022: $310, less than 100% of 25 similar cities
Long-term debt
$3.3M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2022
13
full-time · 12 part-time · March payroll $85,476
Typical tax bill
$1,162
0.53% of home value · AL 0.38%

What stands out about how Clay is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends less than most similar citiesIn 2022: $310 per resident, less than 100% of 25 similar cities.A shared school districtShares Jefferson County School District with 6+ other towns.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Clay’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $240 per resident a year, or $0.66 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 59%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 67%Other taxes & licenses 18%Property taxes 10%Interest, fines & other 3%Fees & charges 2%From the state <1%From other local governments <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $345,000; interest on debt $128,000; payments to other governments $610,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $3.6 million.
Compared with similar places

$310 per resident in 2022: less than 100% of them

Clay’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($310 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 25 Alabama cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,299, and the middle half spent $988–$1,768. Clay spent less than 100% of them.

Middle half of the group, $988–$1,768Median $1,299Clay

Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
25

Alabama cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Clay itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is down 20% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$3.1 million
2024$2.5 million

Per resident: 2022: $310 · 2024: $240.

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 $1,162 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.53% of the home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Trussville$1,842
Clay$1,162
Pinson$952
Center Point$873
Alabama$788
Grayson Valley$787
$1,162
typical bill a year
0.53%
effective rate
$220,600
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Clay

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

See clayalabama.com for Clay’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Clay yet.clayalabama.com ↗
Who works for Clay

One full-time city employee for every 792 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (10,290).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Roads & transportation7
Parks & libraries4 + 2 pt
Administration & buildings0 + 9 pt
Health & welfare1 + 1 pt
Other1
13
full-time
12
part-time
$85,476
payroll for March 2022
$1.0M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$65,600
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Clay had 1.3 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 16 of the 25 Alabama cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 11.8: Clay had fewer than 100% 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

Jefferson County School District

Clay’s K–12 school district, shared with Adamsville, Brighton, Brookside, Cardiff, Center Point and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Clay →
$12,625
per pupil · AL $13,926
35,671
students
$274.2 million
long-term debt

Of the $12,625 per pupil, $6,769 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 30%State 57%Federal 13%

Alabama districts overall: 31% local, 53% state, 16% federal.

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Clay’s votes are counted by county

Alabama reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Clay alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Jefferson County’s results.

President · Jefferson County’s results298,704 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat54.3%162,112 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican43.9%131,123 votes

Others: 1.8% (5,469 votes).

Most votes in Jefferson County: Kamala D Harris

Alabama: Trump 64.6%, Harris 34.1%

The county’s page

100% of Clay lies in Jefferson County. Every 2024 race in Jefferson County is on the county’s page.

Jefferson County’s 2024 results →
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 Clay

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Clay.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: clayalabama.com ↗
  2. 2
    Alabama HouseState representatives
    Danny Garrett
  3. 3
    Alabama SenateState senator
    Shay ShelnuttLinda Coleman-Madison
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Kay Ivey
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Gary J. Palmer
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Alabama
    Tommy TubervilleKatie Boyd Britt
Find your state legislators by address ↗

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

Next door

How Clay compares with the towns next door

Clay spent $310 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,857. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Trussville: $1,857 per resident (2022)Grayson Valley: unincorporated, no town budgetPinson: no reported 2022 figuresCenter Point: no reported 2022 figuresTrussvilleGrayson ValleyPinsonCenter PointClay
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Trussville$1,857$1,842
Pinsonestimate$952
Center Pointestimate$873
Clay$310$1,162

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 Clay’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websiteclayalabama.com ↗

Questions about Clay’s government

How much does Clay spend per resident?

About $240 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 $310 was less than 100% of 25 Alabama cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Clay?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,162 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.53% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see clayalabama.com.

Who runs Clay’s government?

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

How did Clay vote in 2024?

Alabama counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Clay alone. Jefferson County, where 100% of Clay lies, voted Harris 54.3%, Trump 43.9% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Clay?

13 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $85,476 (about $1.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Clay in the state legislature?

Clay is split among 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Alabama Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Clay?

The next posted meeting is Board of Zoning Adjustments on Monday, November 9, at 6:00 pm in 2441 Old Springville Road, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Clay’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 →