How is Pelham run?
Pelham’s city government spent $53.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $2,166 per resident. Water and other utilities ($8.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Pelham is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
5 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Pelham’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov2City CouncilMonday · 3:00 pm · 3162 Pelham ParkwayCity Council Work SessionAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov2City CouncilMonday · 7:00 pm · 3162 Pelham ParkwayCity Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17Commercial Development AuthorityTuesday · 6:00 pm · Pelham City Hall, 3162 Pelham PkwyCommercial Development Authority MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec15Commercial Development AuthorityTuesday · 6:00 pm · Pelham City Hall, 3162 Pelham PkwyCommercial Development Authority MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Jan19Commercial Development AuthorityTuesday · 6:00 pm · Pelham City Hall, 3162 Pelham PkwyCommercial Development Authority MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct26GeneralMonday · 6:00 pm · 2000 Pelham Park BlvdLibrary Board MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct21GeneralWednesday · 5:00 pm · 2020 Pelham Park BoulevardParks and Recreation Advisory Board MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct20Commercial Development AuthorityTuesday · 4:30 pm · Pelham City Hall, 3162 Pelham PkwyCommercial Development Authority MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct19City CouncilMonday · 7:00 pm · 3162 Pelham ParkwayCity Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct19City CouncilMonday · 5:30 pm · 3162 Pelham ParkwayCity Council Work SessionAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $2,166 per resident a year, or $5.93 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison for Pelham yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Pelham’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars), so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2024; the next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Day-to-day spending is up 4% since 2023
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Pelham reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2023: $2,097 · 2024: $2,166.
full-time in March 2025, up from 284 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,454 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.48% of the home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Pelham’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 Pelham’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Pelham →
Who’s in charge in Pelham
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 79 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (24,755).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Pelham City School District
Pelham’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,581 per pupil, $7,435 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.
Alabama districts overall: 31% local, 53% state, 16% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Pelham’s votes are counted by county
Alabama reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pelham alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Shelby County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican69.5%79,666 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat28.8%33,087 votesOthers: 1.7% (1,945 votes).
Most votes in Shelby County: Donald J Trump
Alabama: Trump 64.6%, Harris 34.1%
100% of Pelham lies in Shelby County. Every 2024 race in Shelby County is on the county’s page.
Shelby County’s 2024 results →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.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Pelham.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: pelhamonline.com ↗
- 2Alabama HousePelham is split between 3 districts
- 3Alabama SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Alabama
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Pelham compares with the towns next door
Pelham’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $83 to $1,064 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Springs Village | $83 | $2,127 |
| Helena | $492 | $1,383 |
| Chelsea | $613 | $1,393 |
| Alabaster | $1,064 | $1,221 |
| Hoover | estimate | $2,486 |
| Pelham | estimate | $1,454 |
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 Pelham’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Pelham’s government
How much does Pelham spend per resident?
About $2,166 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 Pelham?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,454 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.48% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see pelhamonline.com.
Who runs Pelham’s government?
See pelhamonline.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Pelham yet.
How did Pelham vote in 2024?
Alabama counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Pelham alone. Shelby County, where 100% of Pelham lies, voted Trump 69.5%, Harris 28.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Pelham?
315 full-time and 100 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.1M (about $25.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Pelham in the state legislature?
Pelham is split among 3 State House districts and 3 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 Pelham?
The next posted meeting is City Council on Monday, November 2, at 3:00 pm in 3162 Pelham Parkway, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Pelham’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
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 →