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Town Hall · Muscle Shoals

How is Muscle Shoals run?

Muscle Shoals’ city government spent $21.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,239 per resident.

Town website
Next public meeting

City Council

5:00 pm · Muscle Shoals City Hall, 2010 Avalon Ave

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$21.1M
year to September 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,239
2022 was an estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$20.8M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2022
176
full-time · 75 part-time · March payroll $875,404 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$899
0.45% of home value · AL 0.38%

What stands out about how Muscle Shoals is run

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

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Split between districts3 State House districts cover Muscle Shoals; your street decides yours.Its own police and fire35 sworn officers and 26 full-time firefighters on the payroll.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

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

Recent meetings

  • Nov2
    City CouncilMonday · 5:00 pm · Muscle Shoals City Hall, 2010 Avalon AveCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
  • Nov2
    City CouncilMonday · 5:00 pm · Muscle Shoals City Hall, 2010 Avalon AveCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
  • Nov2
    City CouncilMonday · 5:00 pm · Muscle Shoals City Hall, 2010 Avalon AveCity Council MeetingMeeting page ↗
  • Oct26
    GeneralMonday · 5:00 pm · 2010 Avalon AveOne Time EventAgenda ↗Minutes ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct6
    GeneralTuesday · 5:00 pm · 2010 Avalon AveCivil Service Board MeetingMeeting page ↗
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 $1,239 per resident a year, or $3.39 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 22%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 59%Property taxes 10%Other taxes & licenses 9%Fees & charges 8%From the federal government 5%From the state 5%Interest, fines & other 3%From other local governments 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $3.3 million; interest on debt $607,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $25 million.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Muscle Shoals yet

The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Muscle Shoals’ 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2024 only (2022 and 2023 are estimates), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $899 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.45% of the home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Muscle Shoals$899
Tuscumbia$873
Alabama$788
Sheffield$579
$899
typical bill a year
0.45%
effective rate
$199,700
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Muscle Shoals

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

See cityofmuscleshoals.com for Muscle Shoals’ current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Muscle Shoals yet.cityofmuscleshoals.com ↗
Who works for Muscle Shoals

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 (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (17,019).

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

Parks & libraries21 + 58 pt
Police40
Fire33 + 2 pt
Sewer & trash25 + 2 pt
Water & other utilities19
Administration & buildings12 + 1 pt
Roads & transportation12
Courts, inspections & corrections3
Health & welfare0 + 5 pt
Other11 + 7 pt
176
full-time
75
part-time
$875,404
payroll for March 2022
$10.5M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$55,800
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
35
sworn police officers
26
full-time firefighters
Estimates.Muscle Shoals didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

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

Muscle Shoals City School District

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

Schools in Muscle Shoals →
$13,759
per pupil · AL $13,926
2,937
students
$14.8 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,759 per pupil, $7,916 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 54%Federal 9%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Muscle Shoals’ votes are counted by county

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

President · Colbert County’s results27,160 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican72.6%19,714 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat26.3%7,137 votes

Others: 1.1% (309 votes).

Most votes in Colbert County: Donald J Trump

Alabama: Trump 64.6%, Harris 34.1%

The county’s page

100% of Muscle Shoals lies in Colbert County. Every 2024 race in Colbert County is on the county’s page.

Colbert 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 Muscle Shoals

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Muscle Shoals.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityofmuscleshoals.com ↗
  2. 2
    Alabama HouseMuscle Shoals is split between 3 districts
    Bubba UnderwoodErnie YarbroughJamie Kiel
  3. 3
    Alabama SenateState senator
    Larry Stutts
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Kay Ivey
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Robert B. Aderholt
  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 Muscle Shoals compares with the towns next door

Muscle Shoals’ 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,453 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.

Sheffield: $1,453 per resident (2022)Tuscumbia: no reported 2022 figuresSheffieldTuscumbiaMuscle Shoals
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Sheffield$1,453$579
Tuscumbiaestimate$873
Muscle Shoalsestimate$899

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 Muscle Shoals’ government

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

The Handbook →
Official websitecityofmuscleshoals.com ↗

Questions about Muscle Shoals’ government

How much does Muscle Shoals spend per resident?

About $1,239 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.

What is the property tax rate in Muscle Shoals?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $899 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.45% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofmuscleshoals.com.

Who runs Muscle Shoals’ government?

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

How did Muscle Shoals vote in 2024?

Alabama counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Muscle Shoals alone. Colbert County, where 100% of Muscle Shoals lies, voted Trump 72.6%, Harris 26.3% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Muscle Shoals?

176 full-time and 75 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $875,404 (about $10.5M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Muscle Shoals in the state legislature?

Muscle Shoals is split among 3 State House districts, so your address decides. The Alabama Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 6 (Larry Stutts). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Muscle Shoals?

The next posted meeting is City Council on Monday, December 7, at 5:00 pm in Muscle Shoals City Hall, 2010 Avalon Ave, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Muscle Shoals’ 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 →