Photo: Bedford at en.wikipedia · Public domainMorgantown spent more per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities
Morgantown’s city government spent $3.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,360 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Morgantown is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Morgantown
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: morgantown-ky.com ↗
Morgantown’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on morgantown-ky.com ↗.
About $1,360 per resident a year, or $3.73 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: housing & development, at 31%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$946 per resident in 2022: more than 86% of them
Morgantown’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($946 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 221 Kentucky cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $419, and the middle half spent $226–$717. Morgantown spent more than 86% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Kentucky cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Morgantown itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 49% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Morgantown 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: $946 · 2023: $1,369 · 2024: $1,360. Per resident it went from $946 to $1,360 (up 44%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,373 to 2,467.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $383 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.34% of the home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Morgantown’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 Morgantown’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Morgantown →
One full-time city employee for every 67 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 (2,467).
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.
Butler County School District
Morgantown’s K–12 school district, shared with Rochester, Woodbury. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,181 per pupil, $7,430 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.
Kentucky districts overall: 37% local, 46% state, 17% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Morgantown’s votes are counted by county
Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Morgantown alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Butler County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican82.5%4,905 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat16.2%965 votesOthers: 1.2% (73 votes).
Most votes in Butler County: Donald J Trump
Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
100% of Morgantown lies in Butler County. Every 2024 race in Butler County is on the county’s page.
Butler 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 Morgantown.
- 1Your cityMayorBilly Phelpsas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Kentucky HouseState representatives
- 3Kentucky SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kentucky
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Morgantown’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Morgantown’s government
How much does Morgantown spend per resident?
About $1,360 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 $946 was more than 86% of 221 Kentucky cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Morgantown?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $383 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.34% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see morgantown-ky.com.
Who is the mayor of Morgantown?
Billy Phelps, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on morgantown-ky.com.
How did Morgantown vote in 2024?
Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Morgantown alone. Butler County, where 100% of Morgantown lies, voted Trump 82.5%, Harris 16.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Morgantown?
37 full-time and 22 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $135,704 (about $1.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Morgantown in the state legislature?
State Senate District 5 (Steve Meredith) and State House District 15 (Rebecca Raymer). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Morgantown’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 →