Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0How is Powell run?
Powell’s town government spent $273,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $301 per resident.
What stands out about how Powell is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
DeKalb County School District
Powell’s K–12 school district, shared with Crossville, Fyffe, Geraldine, Hammondville, Henagar and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,288 per pupil, $7,655 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.
About $301 per resident a year, or $0.82 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 39%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$301 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Powell’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($301 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 109 Alabama cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $430, and the middle half spent $186–$735. Powell spent less than 60% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($24,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Alabama cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Powell itself left out).
No trend yet
Powell reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $450 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.39% 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 Powell’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Powell’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Powell →
Who’s in charge in Powell
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 227 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (908).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Powell’s votes are counted by county
Alabama reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Powell alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are DeKalb County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican86.4%25,633 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat12.7%3,758 votesOthers: 0.9% (269 votes).
Most votes in DeKalb County: Donald J Trump
Alabama: Trump 64.6%, Harris 34.1%
100% of Powell lies in DeKalb County. Every 2024 race in DeKalb County is on the county’s page.
DeKalb 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 Powell.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Alabama HouseState representatives
- 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 Powell compares with the towns next door
Powell spent $301 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Rainsville | estimate | $683 |
| Powell | $301 | $450 |
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 Powell’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Powell’s government
How much does Powell spend per resident?
About $301 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $301 was less than 60% of 109 Alabama cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Powell?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $450 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.39% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Powell’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Powell yet.
How did Powell vote in 2024?
Alabama counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Powell alone. DeKalb County, where 100% of Powell lies, voted Trump 86.4%, Harris 12.7% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Powell?
4 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $17,697 (about $212,364 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Powell in the state legislature?
State Senate District 8 (Steve Livingston) and State House District 24 (Nathaniel Ledbetter). The House district also covers 13 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Powell’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 →