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Town Hall · Pelham

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.

Town website
Next public meeting

City Council

3:00 pm · 3162 Pelham Parkway

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$53.6M
year to September 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$2,166
2022 was an estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$58.7M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
315
full-time · 100 part-time · March payroll $2.1M
Typical tax bill
$1,454
0.48% of home value · AL 0.38%

What stands out about how Pelham is run

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

★ What stands out · Meetings

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.

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 $2,166 per resident a year, or $5.93 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 30%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 48%Fees & charges 18%Property taxes 10%Utility sales 8%Other taxes & licenses 7%Interest, fines & other 7%From the federal government 3%From the state <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $15.2 million; interest on debt $2 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $78.9 million.
Compared with similar places

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 →
Over the years

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

2023$51.8 million
2024$53.6 million

Per resident: 2023: $2,097 · 2024: $2,166.

City staff
315

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.

Property tax

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.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Hoover$2,486
Indian Springs Village$2,127
Eagle Point$1,971
Pelham$1,454
Chelsea$1,393
Helena$1,383
Alabaster$1,221
Alabama$788
$1,454
typical bill a year
0.48%
effective rate
$299,800
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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 runs it

Who’s in charge in Pelham

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

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

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

Parks & libraries57 + 82 pt
Fire86
Police85
Administration & buildings26 + 7 pt
Roads & transportation23
Water & other utilities23
Courts, inspections & corrections5 + 5 pt
Sewer & trash6
Health & welfare1 + 6 pt
Other3
315
full-time
100
part-time
$2.1M
payroll for March 2025
$25.4M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$77,700
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
68
sworn police officers
83
full-time firefighters
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Pelham’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

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

Pelham City School District

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

Schools in Pelham →
$13,581
per pupil · AL $13,926
3,448
students
$6.5 million
long-term debt

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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 49%State 45%Federal 6%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

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.

President · Shelby County’s results114,698 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican69.5%79,666 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat28.8%33,087 votes

Others: 1.7% (1,945 votes).

Most votes in Shelby County: Donald J Trump

Alabama: Trump 64.6%, Harris 34.1%

The county’s page

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

Shelby 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 Pelham

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Pelham.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    Alabama HousePelham 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 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.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-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
Hooverestimate$2,486
Pelhamestimate$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.

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.

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 →