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Downtown Gainesville, GeorgiaPhoto: ATLJonJon · CC BY 4.0
Town Hall · Gainesville

Gainesville spent more per resident in 2022 than 91% of similar cities

Gainesville’s city government spent $98.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,177 per resident. Water and other utilities ($36.3 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Georgia.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$98.6M
year to June 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$2,177
In 2022: $1,755, more than 91% of 22 similar cities
Long-term debt
$141.0M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
749
full-time · 234 part-time · March payroll $4.2M
Typical tax bill
$3,226
0.84% of home value · GA 0.77%

What stands out about how Gainesville 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: $1,755 per resident, more than 91% of 22 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer51% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).Split between districts5 State House and 2 U.S. House districts cover Gainesville; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

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

Recent meetings

  • Nov2
    Historic Preservation CommissionMonday · 5:30 pm · 311 Henry Ward WayHistoric Preservation Commission Meeting "CANCELED"Meeting page ↗
  • Oct29
    Work SessionThursday · 8:30 am · 300 Henry Ward WayMayor/Council Work SessionAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct28
    Chattahoochee Golf Course Advisory CommitteeWednesday · 4:00 pm · 301 Tommy Aaron DriveMeeting page ↗
  • Oct22
    GeneralThursday · 9:00 am · 117 Jesse Jewell ParkwayMain Street Advisory Board MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct20
    Mayor/CouncilTuesday · 5:30 pm · Public Safety Complex, Municipal Court Room, 701 Queen City ParkwayMayor/Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting 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 $2,177 per resident a year, or $5.96 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 34%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 32%Property taxes 17%Interest, fines & other 16%Utility sales 13%From other local governments 12%Sales taxes 5%Other taxes & licenses 2%From the federal government 1%From the state 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $51.1 million; interest on debt $5.1 million; payments to other governments $639,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $193.8 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,755 per resident in 2022: more than 91% of them

Gainesville’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,755 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 22 Georgia cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $950, and the middle half spent $730–$1,145. Gainesville spent more than 91% of them.

Middle half of the group, $730–$1,145Median $950Gainesville

Includes sewer and trash ($27.6 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
22

Georgia cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Gainesville itself left out).

Over the years

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

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$77.6 million
2023$94 million
2024$98.6 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,755 · 2023: $2,164 · 2024: $2,177.

City staff
749

full-time in March 2025, up from 681 in 2022.

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 $3,226 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.84% of the home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Gainesville$3,226
Oakwood$2,695
Georgia$2,341
$3,226
typical bill a year
0.84%
effective rate
$382,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Gainesville

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

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

One full-time city employee for every 60 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 (45,282).

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

Parks & libraries117 + 204 pt
Water & other utilities144
Administration & buildings114 + 1 pt
Police101 + 4 pt
Fire101 + 1 pt
Roads & transportation64 + 15 pt
Sewer & trash68
Health & welfare9 + 7 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections8 + 2 pt
Other23
749
full-time
234
part-time
$4.2M
payroll for March 2025
$50.2M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$63,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
87
sworn police officers
99
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Gainesville had 15.4 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 13 of the 22 Georgia cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 7.2: Gainesville had more than 92% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

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

Gainesville City School District

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

Schools in Gainesville →
$15,042
per pupil · GA $15,800
8,144
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $15,042 per pupil, $8,468 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 47%State 39%Federal 13%

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

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

Elections · 2024 general election

Gainesville’s votes are counted by county

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

President · Hall County’s results101,973 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican71.6%72,991 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat27.8%28,347 votes

Others: 0.6% (635 votes).

Most votes in Hall County: Donald J Trump

Georgia: Trump 50.7%, Harris 48.5%

The county’s page

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

Hall 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 Gainesville

From town hall to Washington

Gainesville sends 5 representatives to the Georgia House alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: gainesville.org ↗
  2. 2
    Georgia HouseGainesville is split between 5 districts
    Matt DubnikLee HawkinsDerrick McCollumEmory DunahooBrent Cox
  3. 3
    Georgia SenateState senator
    Drew Echols
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Brian Kemp
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseSplit between districts
    Andrew S. ClydeRichard McCormick
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Georgia
    Jon OssoffRaphael G. Warnock
Find your state legislators by address ↗Find your House district by ZIP code ↗

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

Next door

How Gainesville compares with the towns next door

Gainesville spent $1,755 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Oakwood: no reported 2022 figuresOakwoodGainesville
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Oakwoodestimate$2,695
Gainesville$1,755$3,226

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 Gainesville’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websitegainesville.org ↗

Questions about Gainesville’s government

How much does Gainesville spend per resident?

About $2,177 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 $1,755 was more than 91% of 22 Georgia cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Gainesville?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,226 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.84% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see gainesville.org.

Who runs Gainesville’s government?

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

How did Gainesville vote in 2024?

Georgia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Gainesville alone. Hall County, where 100% of Gainesville lies, voted Trump 71.6%, Harris 27.8% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Gainesville?

749 full-time and 234 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.2M (about $50.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Gainesville in the state legislature?

Gainesville is split among 5 State House districts, so your address decides. The Georgia Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 49 (Drew Echols). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Gainesville?

The next posted meeting is Cemetery Advisory Committee on Tuesday, November 3, at 10:00 am in 300 Henry Ward Way, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Gainesville’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 →