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Town Hall · Forest Park

Forest Park spent more per resident in 2022 than 79% of similar cities

Forest Park’s city government spent $41.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $2,077 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Georgia.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$41.1M
year to June 30, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$2,077
In 2022: $1,758, more than 79% of 42 similar cities
Long-term debt
$50.0M
end of FY2023, reported
City staff, 2025
295
full-time · 12 part-time · March payroll $1.8M
Typical tax bill
$1,450
1.01% of home value · GA 0.77%

What stands out about how Forest Park 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: $1,758 per resident, more than 79% of 42 similar cities.A shared school districtShares Clayton County School District with 6+ other towns.Split between districts3 State House districts cover Forest Park; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Forest Park’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 2023 budget

About $2,077 per resident a year, or $5.69 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 20%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 30%Fees & charges 26%From other local governments 25%Sales taxes 8%Other taxes & licenses 5%Interest, fines & other 3%From the federal government 2%From the state 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $7.9 million; interest on debt $2.5 million. With these, the whole budget was $51.5 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,758 per resident in 2022: more than 79% of them

Forest Park’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,758 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. Forest Park spent more than 79% of them.

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

Includes sewer and trash ($3.9 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; Forest Park itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 18% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$34.9 million
2023$41.1 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,758 · 2023: $2,077.

City staff
295

full-time in March 2025, up from 261 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 $1,450 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.01% of the home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Georgia$2,341
Lake City$1,883
Morrow$1,713
Forest Park$1,450
Conley$1,422
$1,450
typical bill a year
1.01%
effective rate
$143,400
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Forest Park

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

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

One full-time city employee for every 67 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (19,798).

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

Police111
Fire72
Administration & buildings49
Roads & transportation28
Parks & libraries13 + 12 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections4
Sewer & trash4
Health & welfare2
Other12
295
full-time
12
part-time
$1.8M
payroll for March 2025
$22.0M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$73,500
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
90
sworn police officers
31
full-time firefighters
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Forest Park’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

Clayton County School District

Forest Park’s K–12 school district, shared with Jonesboro, Lake City, Lovejoy, Morrow, Riverdale and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Forest Park →
$16,377
per pupil · GA $15,800
50,832
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $16,377 per pupil, $8,650 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 36%State 46%Federal 18%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Forest Park’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Clayton County’s results111,729 votes · results as certified
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat84.3%94,203 votes
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican15.1%16,877 votes

Others: 0.6% (649 votes).

Most votes in Clayton County: Kamala D Harris

Georgia: Trump 50.7%, Harris 48.5%

The county’s page

100% of Forest Park lies in Clayton County. Every 2024 race in Clayton County is on the county’s page.

Clayton 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 Forest Park

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Forest Park.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: forestparkga.org ↗
  2. 2
    Georgia HouseForest Park is split between 3 districts
    Rhonda BurnoughSandra ScottYasmin Neal
  3. 3
    Georgia SenateState senator
    Kenya WicksElena Parent
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Brian Kemp
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Nikema Williams
  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 Forest Park compares with the towns next door

Forest Park spent $1,758 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,221. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Conley: unincorporated, no town budgetLake City: $1,221 per resident (2022)Morrow: no reported 2022 figuresConleyLake CityMorrowForest Park
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Lake City$1,221$1,883
Morrowestimate$1,713
Forest Park$1,758$1,450

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 Forest Park’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websiteforestparkga.org ↗

Questions about Forest Park’s government

How much does Forest Park spend per resident?

About $2,077 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,758 was more than 79% of 42 Georgia cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Forest Park?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,450 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.01% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see forestparkga.org.

Who runs Forest Park’s government?

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

How did Forest Park vote in 2024?

Georgia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Forest Park alone. Clayton County, where 100% of Forest Park lies, voted Harris 84.3%, Trump 15.1% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Forest Park?

295 full-time and 12 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.8M (about $22.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Forest Park in the state legislature?

Forest Park is split among 3 State House districts and 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 Forest Park?

The next posted meeting is Planning Commission on Thursday, November 5, at 6:00 pm in 745 Forest Parkway, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Forest Park’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 →