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Old Mill in Mountain Brook, AlabamaPhoto: Robert Donovan from Franklin, TN, USA · CC BY 2.0
Town Hall · Mountain Brook

Mountain Brook spent more per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities

Mountain Brook’s city government spent $40.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,842 per resident.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Alabama.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$40.4M
year to September 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,842
In 2022: $1,768, more than 76% of 25 similar cities
Long-term debt
$9.3M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2022
226
full-time · 13 part-time · March payroll $1.5M
Typical tax bill
$8,005
0.87% of home value · AL 0.38%

What stands out about how Mountain Brook is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$1,768 per resident in 2022: more than 76% of them

Mountain Brook’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,768 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 $1,222, and the middle half spent $976–$1,756. Mountain Brook spent more than 76% of them.

Middle half of the group, $976–$1,756Median $1,222Mountain Brook

Includes sewer and trash ($2.8 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
25

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

Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,842 per resident a year, or $5.05 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 23%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 40%Sales taxes 36%Other taxes & licenses 11%Interest, fines & other 9%Fees & charges 3%From the state 1%From the federal government <1%From other local governments <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $21.4 million; interest on debt $221,000; payments to other governments $1.2 million. With these, the whole budget was $63.3 million.
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 14% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$35.4 million
2023$38.9 million
2024$40.4 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,768 · 2023: $1,756 · 2024: $1,842. Per resident it went from $1,768 to $1,842 (up 4%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 20,034 to 21,955.

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 $8,005 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.87% of the home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Mountain Brook$8,005
Vestavia Hills$4,105
Homewood$3,478
Irondale$1,223
Birmingham$997
Alabama$788
$8,005
typical bill a year
0.87%
effective rate
$916,300
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Mountain Brook

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

See mtnbrook.org for Mountain Brook’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Mountain Brook yet.mtnbrook.org ↗
Agendas

Mountain Brook’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on mtnbrook.org ↗.

Who works for Mountain Brook

One full-time city employee for every 97 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 (21,955).

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

Police64
Fire63
Parks & libraries39 + 13 pt
Roads & transportation28
Administration & buildings11
Courts, inspections & corrections3
Other18
226
full-time
13
part-time
$1.5M
payroll for March 2022
$17.4M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$76,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
60
sworn police officers
62
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Mountain Brook had 11.3 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: Mountain Brook had fewer than 62% 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

Mountain Brook City School District

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

Schools in Mountain Brook →
$18,391
per pupil · AL $13,926
4,387
students
$67.1 million
long-term debt

Of the $18,391 per pupil, $11,324 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 67%State 31%Federal 2%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Mountain Brook’s votes are counted by county

Alabama reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Mountain Brook 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 Mountain Brook 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 Mountain Brook

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Mountain Brook.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: mtnbrook.org ↗
  2. 2
    Alabama HouseMountain Brook is split between 3 districts
  3. 3
    Alabama SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Alabama

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

Next door

How Mountain Brook compares with the towns next door

Mountain Brook spent $1,768 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $629 to $2,304. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Irondale$629$1,223
Vestavia Hills$1,292$4,105
Homewood$2,139$3,478
Birmingham$2,304$997
Mountain Brook$1,768$8,005

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 Mountain Brook’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Mountain Brook’s government

How much does Mountain Brook spend per resident?

About $1,842 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 $1,768 was more than 76% of 25 Alabama cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Mountain Brook?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $8,005 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.87% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see mtnbrook.org.

Who runs Mountain Brook’s government?

See mtnbrook.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Mountain Brook yet.

How did Mountain Brook vote in 2024?

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

How many people work for Mountain Brook?

226 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.5M (about $17.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Mountain Brook in the state legislature?

Mountain Brook is split among 3 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Alabama Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Mountain Brook’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 →