Cheek House · Photo: Cecouchman · CC BY-SA 3.0Lavonia spent more per resident in 2022 than 90% of similar cities
Lavonia’s city government spent $4.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,165 per resident.
What stands out about how Lavonia is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,709 per resident in 2022: more than 90% of them
Lavonia’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,709 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–$1,060. Lavonia spent more than 90% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($445,000), 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; Lavonia itself left out).
About $2,165 per resident a year, or $5.93 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 25% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lavonia 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: $1,709 · 2024: $2,165.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,643 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.83% 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 Lavonia’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Lavonia’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lavonia →
Who’s in charge in Lavonia
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 45 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (2,149).
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.
Franklin County School District
Lavonia’s K–12 school district, shared with Carnesville, Franklin Springs, Canon, Royston. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $15,305 per pupil, $9,245 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.
Lavonia’s votes are counted by county
Georgia reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lavonia alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Franklin County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican86.2%10,459 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat13.6%1,647 votesOthers: 0.3% (34 votes).
Most votes in Franklin County: Donald J Trump
Georgia: Trump 50.7%, Harris 48.5%
100% of Lavonia lies in Franklin County; the rest in Hart 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 Lavonia.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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.
How Lavonia compares with the towns next door
Lavonia spent $1,709 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lavonia | $1,709 | $1,643 |
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 Lavonia’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Lavonia’s government
How much does Lavonia spend per resident?
About $2,165 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,709 was more than 90% of 243 Georgia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lavonia?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,643 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.83% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.77% across Georgia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Lavonia’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lavonia yet.
How did Lavonia vote in 2024?
Georgia counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Lavonia alone. Franklin County, where 100% of Lavonia lies, voted Trump 86.2%, Harris 13.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Lavonia?
48 full-time and 30 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $150,828 (about $1.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lavonia in the state legislature?
State Senate District 50 (Bo Hatchett) and State House District 33 (Alan Powell). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lavonia’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 →