Photo: Brian Stansberry (photographer) · CC BY 4.0How is Red Bay run?
Red Bay’s city government spent $3.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,216 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Red Bay is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,216 per resident a year, or $3.33 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,116 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Red Bay’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,116 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 47 Alabama cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $992, and the middle half spent $608–$1,480. Red Bay spent more than 57% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Alabama cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Red Bay itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Red Bay reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,116 · 2023: $1,144 · 2024: $1,216.
full-time in March 2025, down from 61 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 $345 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.32% 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 Red Bay’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 Red Bay’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Red Bay →
Who’s in charge in Red Bay
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Red Bay’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofredbay.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 62 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 (3,205).
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.
Franklin County School District
Red Bay’s K–12 school district, shared with Hodges, Phil Campbell, Vina. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,687 per pupil, $7,968 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.
Red Bay’s votes are counted by county
Alabama reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Red Bay alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Franklin County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican86.1%10,417 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat13.0%1,568 votesOthers: 0.9% (112 votes).
Most votes in Franklin County: Donald J Trump
Alabama: Trump 64.6%, Harris 34.1%
100% of Red Bay lies in Franklin County. Every 2024 race in Franklin County is on the county’s page.
Franklin 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 Red Bay.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofredbay.org ↗
- 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.
Reach Red Bay’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Red Bay’s government
How much does Red Bay spend per resident?
About $1,216 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 $1,116 was more than 57% of 47 Alabama cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Red Bay?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $345 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.32% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofredbay.org.
Who runs Red Bay’s government?
See cityofredbay.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Red Bay yet.
How did Red Bay vote in 2024?
Alabama counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Red Bay alone. Franklin County, where 100% of Red Bay lies, voted Trump 86.1%, Harris 13.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Red Bay?
52 full-time and 33 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $218,094 (about $2.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Red Bay in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Larry Stutts) and State House District 18 (Jamie Kiel). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Red Bay’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 →