Photo: Robbie Honerkamp · CC BY-SA 3.0Fort Gaines spent more per resident in 2022 than 70% of similar cities
Fort Gaines’ city government spent $933,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $959 per resident. Water and other utilities ($298,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Fort Gaines is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$959 per resident in 2022: more than 70% of them
Fort Gaines’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($959 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 243 Georgia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $696, and the middle half spent $428–$1,080. Fort Gaines spent more than 70% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($176,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Georgia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Fort Gaines itself left out).
About $959 per resident a year, or $2.63 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 39%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No trend yet
Fort Gaines reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,646 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.82% of the home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Fort Gaines’ 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 Fort Gaines’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Fort Gaines →
Who’s in charge in Fort Gaines
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Fort Gaines’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on fortgaines.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 97 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 (973).
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.
Clay County School District
Fort Gaines’ elementary school district, shared with Bluffton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $32,234 per pupil, $13,790 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.
Georgia districts overall: 49% local, 39% state, 12% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Fort Gaines’ votes are counted by county
Georgia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fort Gaines alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Clay County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat53.5%771 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican46.0%663 votesOthers: 0.6% (8 votes).
Most votes in Clay County: Kamala D Harris
Georgia: Trump 50.7%, Harris 48.5%
100% of Fort Gaines lies in Clay County. Every 2024 race in Clay County is on the county’s page.
Clay 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 Fort Gaines.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: fortgaines.com ↗
- 2Georgia HouseState representatives
- 3Georgia SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Georgia
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Fort Gaines’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Fort Gaines’ government
How much does Fort Gaines spend per resident?
About $959 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $959 was more than 70% of 243 Georgia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Fort Gaines?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,646 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.82% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see fortgaines.com.
Who runs Fort Gaines’ government?
See fortgaines.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Fort Gaines yet.
How did Fort Gaines vote in 2024?
Georgia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Fort Gaines alone. Clay County, where 100% of Fort Gaines lies, voted Harris 53.5%, Trump 46.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Fort Gaines?
10 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $27,093 (about $325,116 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Fort Gaines in the state legislature?
State Senate District 12 (Freddie Sims) and State House District 154 (Gerald Greene). The House district also covers 16 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Fort Gaines’ 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 →