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Town Hall · Cartersville

Cartersville spent more per resident in 2022 than 93% of similar cities

Cartersville’s city government spent $71.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,996 per resident. Water and other utilities ($76 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Next public meeting

City Council Meeting

7:00 pm · 10 N Public Square

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$71.6M
year to June 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$2,996
In 2022: $2,563, more than 93% of 42 similar cities
Long-term debt
$116.9M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
402
full-time · 26 part-time · March payroll $2.6M
Typical tax bill
$2,539
0.75% of home value · GA 0.77%

What stands out about how Cartersville is run

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

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends more than most similar citiesIn 2022: $2,563 per resident, more than 93% of 42 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer57% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).Its own police and fire59 sworn officers and 90 full-time firefighters on the payroll.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

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

Recent meetings

  • Oct15
    City Council MeetingThursday · 7:00 pm · 10 N Public SquareOctober 15, 2026 City Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct1
    City Council MeetingThursday · 7:00 pm · 10 N Public SquareMeeting page ↗
  • Sep24
    City Council MeetingThursday · 6:00 pm · 10 N PUBLIC SQ, 1 N PUBLIC SQOne Time Event TESTMeeting 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 $2,996 per resident a year, or $8.21 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 46%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 46%From other local governments 15%Property taxes 14%Fees & charges 12%Interest, fines & other 6%Sales taxes 5%Other taxes & licenses 1%From the state 1%From the federal government <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $8.7 million; interest on debt $5.9 million; payments to other governments $1.8 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $163.9 million.
Compared with similar places

$2,563 per resident in 2022: more than 93% of them

Cartersville’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,563 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 42 Georgia cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,175, and the middle half spent $865–$1,535. Cartersville spent more than 93% of them.

Middle half of the group, $865–$1,535Median $1,175Cartersville

Includes sewer and trash ($5.1 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
42

Georgia cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cartersville itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 27% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Cartersville reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$56.5 million
2023$66.9 million
2024$71.6 million

Per resident: 2022: $2,563 · 2023: $2,882 · 2024: $2,996. Per resident it went from $2,563 to $2,996 (up 17%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 22,037 to 23,904.

City staff
402

full-time in March 2025, up from 353 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.

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 $2,539 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.75% of the home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Cartersville$2,539
Georgia$2,341
Emerson$1,960
$2,539
typical bill a year
0.75%
effective rate
$338,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Cartersville

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

See cityofcartersville.org for Cartersville’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Cartersville yet.cityofcartersville.org ↗
Who works for Cartersville

One full-time city employee for every 59 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 (23,904).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Water & other utilities92
Fire91
Police65
Administration & buildings50 + 1 pt
Parks & libraries28 + 22 pt
Sewer & trash35 + 1 pt
Roads & transportation32
Courts, inspections & corrections2 + 1 pt
Other7 + 1 pt
402
full-time
26
part-time
$2.6M
payroll for March 2025
$31.1M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$76,800
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
59
sworn police officers
90
full-time firefighters
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Cartersville’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

Cartersville City School District

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

Schools in Cartersville →
$14,281
per pupil · GA $15,800
4,573
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $14,281 per pupil, $8,838 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 53%State 38%Federal 9%

Georgia districts overall: 49% local, 39% state, 12% federal.

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Cartersville’s votes are counted by county

Georgia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cartersville alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Bartow County’s results.

President · Bartow County’s results57,547 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican75.2%43,271 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat24.2%13,942 votes

Others: 0.6% (334 votes).

Most votes in Bartow County: Donald J Trump

Georgia: Trump 50.7%, Harris 48.5%

The county’s page

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

Bartow 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 Cartersville

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Cartersville.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityofcartersville.org ↗
  2. 2
    Georgia HouseState representatives
    Matthew Gambill
  3. 3
    Georgia SenateState senator
    Chuck HufstetlerEd Setzler
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Brian Kemp
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Barry Loudermilk
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Georgia
    Jon OssoffRaphael G. Warnock
Find your state legislators by address ↗

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Cartersville compares with the towns next door

Cartersville spent $2,563 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $2,276. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Emerson: $2,276 per resident (2022)EmersonCartersville
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Emerson$2,276$1,960
Cartersville$2,563$2,539

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 Cartersville’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websitecityofcartersville.org ↗

Questions about Cartersville’s government

How much does Cartersville spend per resident?

About $2,996 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,563 was more than 93% of 42 Georgia cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Cartersville?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,539 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.75% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofcartersville.org.

Who runs Cartersville’s government?

See cityofcartersville.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cartersville yet.

How did Cartersville vote in 2024?

Georgia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cartersville alone. Bartow County, where 100% of Cartersville lies, voted Trump 75.2%, Harris 24.2% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Cartersville?

402 full-time and 26 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.6M (about $31.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Cartersville in the state legislature?

Cartersville is split among 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Georgia Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Cartersville?

The next posted meeting is City Council Meeting on Thursday, November 5, at 7:00 pm in 10 N Public Square, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Cartersville’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 →