Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Decatur

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Decatur, Alabama (2023)Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Decatur

How is Decatur run?

Decatur’s city government spent $113.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,957 per resident. Water and other utilities ($118.1 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Alabama.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$113.4M
year to September 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,957
In 2022: $1,395, more than 50% of 16 similar cities
Long-term debt
$204.8M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
659
full-time · 55 part-time · March payroll $3.9M · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$751
0.36% of home value · AL 0.38%

What stands out about how Decatur is run

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

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer60% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).Split between districts5 State House districts cover Decatur; your street decides yours.Its own police and fire112 sworn officers and 100 full-time firefighters on the payroll.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Decatur’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 $1,957 per resident a year, or $5.36 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 18%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 48%Sales taxes 22%Fees & charges 13%From the state 7%Interest, fines & other 5%Other taxes & licenses 3%Property taxes 2%From other local governments <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $31 million; interest on debt $6.5 million; payments to other governments $3.4 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $273.2 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,395 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Decatur’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,395 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 16 Alabama cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,348, and the middle half spent $1,061–$1,546. Decatur spent more than 50% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,061–$1,546Median $1,348Decatur

Includes sewer and trash ($14.4 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
16

Alabama cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Decatur itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 49% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$75.9 million
2023$99.4 million
2024$113.4 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,395 · 2023: $1,719 · 2024: $1,957. Per resident it went from $1,395 to $1,957 (up 40%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 54,381 to 57,922.

City staff
659

full-time in March 2025, down from 671 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.

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 $751 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.36% of the home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Huntsville$1,345
Priceville$947
Trinity$857
Alabama$788
Decatur$751
Hartselle$623
$751
typical bill a year
0.36%
effective rate
$210,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Decatur

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

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

One full-time city employee for every 88 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (57,922).

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

Police133 + 24 pt
Water & other utilities130 + 7 pt
Fire100 + 2 pt
Sewer & trash96
Parks & libraries70 + 10 pt
Administration & buildings44 + 8 pt
Roads & transportation37
Courts, inspections & corrections20 + 2 pt
Housing & development11
Health & welfare7
Other11 + 2 pt
659
full-time
55
part-time
$3.9M
payroll for March 2025
$46.5M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$69,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
112
sworn police officers
100
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Decatur had 12.3 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 13 of the 16 Alabama cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 12.4: Decatur had fewer than 54% 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

Decatur City School District

Decatur’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Decatur →
$15,311
per pupil · AL $13,926
8,665
students
$199.6 million
long-term debt

Of the $15,311 per pupil, $8,792 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 37%State 49%Federal 14%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Decatur’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Morgan County’s results53,543 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican75.5%40,449 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat23.1%12,392 votes

Others: 1.3% (702 votes).

Most votes in Morgan County: Donald J Trump

Alabama: Trump 64.6%, Harris 34.1%

The county’s page

100% of Decatur lies in Morgan County; the rest in Limestone County. Every 2024 race in Morgan County is on the county’s page.

Morgan 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 Decatur

From town hall to Washington

Decatur sends 5 representatives to the Alabama House alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityofdecatural.com ↗
  2. 2
    Alabama HouseDecatur is split between 5 districts
    Terri CollinsParker MooreErnie YarbroughScott StadthagenDanny Crawford
  3. 3
    Alabama SenateState senator
    Arthur Orr
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Kay Ivey
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Dale W. Strong
  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 Decatur compares with the towns next door

Decatur spent $1,395 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,432. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Priceville: no reported 2022 figuresTrinity: no reported 2022 figuresHuntsville: $1,432 per resident (2022)Hartselle: no reported 2022 figuresPricevilleTrinityHuntsvilleHartselleDecatur
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Huntsville$1,432$1,345
Pricevilleestimate$947
Trinityestimate$857
Hartselleestimate$623
Decatur$1,395$751

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 Decatur’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websitecityofdecatural.com ↗

Questions about Decatur’s government

How much does Decatur spend per resident?

About $1,957 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,395 was more than 50% of 16 Alabama cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Decatur?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $751 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.36% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofdecatural.com.

Who runs Decatur’s government?

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

How did Decatur vote in 2024?

Alabama counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Decatur alone. Morgan County, where 100% of Decatur lies, voted Trump 75.5%, Harris 23.1% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Decatur?

659 full-time and 55 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.9M (about $46.5M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Decatur in the state legislature?

Decatur is split among 5 State House districts, so your address decides. The Alabama Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 3 (Arthur Orr). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Decatur?

The next posted meeting is City Council on Monday, November 16, at 10:00 am in Council Chambers, 402 Lee Street, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Decatur’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 →