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Main Street, downtown Smiths GrovePhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
Town Hall · Smiths Grove

How is Smiths Grove run?

Smiths Grove’s city government spent $341,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $417 per resident. Water and other utilities ($17,000) are counted separately.

Day-to-day spending, 2022
$341,000
year to June 30, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$417
In 2022: $417, less than 51% of 221 similar cities
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of FY2022, reported
City staff, 2022
2
full-time · 3 part-time · March payroll $10,421
Typical tax bill
$1,056
0.64% of home value · KY 0.75%

What stands out about how Smiths Grove is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

The school district

Warren County School District

Smiths Grove’s K–12 school district, shared with Oakland, Plum Springs, Woodburn, Bowling Green. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Smiths Grove →
$12,064
per pupil · KY $14,752
18,164
students
$157.7 million
long-term debt

Of the $12,064 per pupil, $7,620 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 37%State 46%Federal 16%

Kentucky districts overall: 37% local, 46% state, 17% federal.

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

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $417 per resident a year, or $1.14 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 44%.

Where the money comes from
From the state 32%Sales taxes 22%Income taxes 22%Property taxes 15%Interest, fines & other 8%Fees & charges 1%Other taxes & licenses 1%
Not in the receipt.Payments to other governments $4,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $390,000.
Compared with similar places

$417 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Smiths Grove’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($417 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 $425, and the middle half spent $226–$721. Smiths Grove spent less than 51% of them.

Middle half of the group, $226–$721Median $425Smiths Grove

Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
221

Kentucky cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Smiths Grove itself left out).

Over the years

No trend yet

Smiths Grove reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,056 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.64% of the home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Kentucky$1,544
Smiths Grove$1,056
$1,056
typical bill a year
0.64%
effective rate
$164,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Smiths Grove

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

Check Smiths Grove’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Smiths Grove yet.
Who works for Smiths Grove

One full-time city employee for every 409 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 (817).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Police2
Administration & buildings0 + 3 pt
2
full-time
3
part-time
$10,421
payroll for March 2022
$125,052
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$48,900
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
2
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Smiths Grove had 2.4 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 137 of the 221 Kentucky cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 2.5: Smiths Grove had fewer than 50% 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.

Elections · 2024 general election

Smiths Grove’s votes are counted by county

Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Smiths Grove alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Warren County’s results.

President · Warren County’s results56,891 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican61.3%34,862 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat37.0%21,065 votes

Others: 1.7% (964 votes).

Most votes in Warren County: Donald J Trump

Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%

The county’s page

100% of Smiths Grove lies in Warren County. Every 2024 race in Warren County is on the county’s page.

Warren 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 Smiths Grove

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Smiths Grove.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Kentucky HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Kentucky SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kentucky

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

Reach Smiths Grove’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Smiths Grove’s government

How much does Smiths Grove spend per resident?

About $417 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 $417 was less than 51% of 221 Kentucky cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Smiths Grove?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,056 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.64% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.

Who runs Smiths Grove’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Smiths Grove yet.

How did Smiths Grove vote in 2024?

Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Smiths Grove alone. Warren County, where 100% of Smiths Grove lies, voted Trump 61.3%, Harris 37.0% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Smiths Grove?

2 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $10,421 (about $125,052 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Smiths Grove in the state legislature?

State Senate District 16 (Max Wise) and State House District 19 (Michael Meredith). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Smiths Grove’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 →