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Gonzales, Louisiana (3922472222)Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Town Hall · Gonzales

Gonzales spent more per resident in 2022 than 94% of similar cities

Gonzales’ city government spent $25 million on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2024, about $1,916 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Next public meeting

City Council

5:30 pm · 120 S Irma Blvd

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$25.0M
year to May 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,916
In 2022: $2,202, more than 94% of 18 similar cities
Long-term debt
$97.7M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2022
136
full-time · 41 part-time · March payroll $897,556
Typical tax bill
$907
0.40% of home value · LA 0.55%

What stands out about how Gonzales 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: $2,202 per resident, more than 94% of 18 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer25% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).A shared school districtShares Ascension Parish School District with 2 other towns.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

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

Recent meetings

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 $1,916 per resident a year, or $5.25 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 31%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 55%Interest, fines & other 11%Utility sales 9%Fees & charges 9%Other taxes & licenses 5%From the state 5%Property taxes 4%From other local governments 2%From the federal government <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $21 million; interest on debt $3.4 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $54.5 million.
Compared with similar places

$2,202 per resident in 2022: more than 94% of them

Gonzales’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,202 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 Louisiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,518, and the middle half spent $1,200–$1,710. Gonzales spent more than 94% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,200–$1,710Median $1,518Gonzales

Includes sewer and trash ($2.3 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
18

Louisiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Gonzales itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 1% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$24.8 million
2023$18.5 million
2024$25 million

Per resident: 2022: $2,202 · 2023: $1,470 · 2024: $1,916. Per resident it went from $2,202 to $1,916 (down 13%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 11,245 to 13,059.

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 $907 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.40% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Louisiana$1,180
Gonzales$907
$907
typical bill a year
0.40%
effective rate
$225,800
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Gonzales

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

See gonzalesla.com for Gonzales’ current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Gonzales yet.gonzalesla.com ↗
Who works for Gonzales

One full-time city employee for every 96 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 (13,059).

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

Police45 + 5 pt
Fire26 + 15 pt
Roads & transportation21 + 3 pt
Water & other utilities18
Administration & buildings13 + 6 pt
Parks & libraries5 + 11 pt
Sewer & trash8
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 1 pt
136
full-time
41
part-time
$897,556
payroll for March 2022
$10.8M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$74,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
40
sworn police officers
22
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Gonzales had 12.1 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 14 of the 18 Louisiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 12.4: Gonzales had fewer than 57% 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

Ascension Parish School District

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

Schools in Gonzales →
$14,958
per pupil · LA $15,623
24,683
students
$401.6 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,958 per pupil, $8,340 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 57%State 32%Federal 10%

Louisiana districts overall: 47% local, 34% state, 19% federal.

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

Who represents Gonzales

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Gonzales.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: gonzalesla.com ↗
  2. 2
    Louisiana HouseGonzales is split between 3 districts
    Ken BrassKathy EdmonstonJeff Wiley
  3. 3
    Louisiana SenateState senator
    Ed PriceEddie Lambert
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Jeff Landry
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Troy A. Carter
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Louisiana
    Bill CassidyJohn Kennedy
Find your state legislators by address ↗

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

Reach Gonzales’ government

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

The Handbook →
Official websitegonzalesla.com ↗

Questions about Gonzales’ government

How much does Gonzales spend per resident?

About $1,916 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,202 was more than 94% of 18 Louisiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Gonzales?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $907 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.40% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see gonzalesla.com.

Who runs Gonzales’ government?

See gonzalesla.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Gonzales yet.

How many people work for Gonzales?

136 full-time and 41 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $897,556 (about $10.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Gonzales in the state legislature?

Gonzales is split among 3 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Louisiana Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Gonzales?

The next posted meeting is City Council on Monday, November 9, at 5:30 pm in 120 S Irma Blvd, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Gonzales’ 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 →