Photo: JonathanTheLibrarian · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Collins run?
Collins’ city government spent $4.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $2,095 per resident. Water and other utilities ($7.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Collins is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $2,095 per resident a year, or $5.74 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 30%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$451 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Collins’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($451 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 98 Mississippi cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $464, and the middle half spent $216–$850. Collins spent less than 51% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($96,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Mississippi cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Collins itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 340% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Collins 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: $451 · 2023: $1,865 · 2024: $2,095. Per resident it went from $451 to $2,095 (up 365%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,417 to 2,286.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $511 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.61% of the home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Collins’ 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 Collins’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Collins →
Who’s in charge in Collins
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Collins’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofcollins.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 53 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 (2,286).
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.
Covington County School District
Collins’ K–12 school district, shared with Mount Olive, Seminary. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,480 per pupil, $7,384 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.
Mississippi districts overall: 33% local, 45% state, 23% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Collins’ votes are counted by county
Mississippi reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Collins alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Covington County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican66.2%5,869 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat33.0%2,921 votesOthers: 0.8% (71 votes).
Most votes in Covington County: Donald J Trump
Mississippi: Trump 60.9%, Harris 38.0%
100% of Collins lies in Covington County. Every 2024 race in Covington County is on the county’s page.
Covington 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 Collins.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofcollins.com ↗
- 2Mississippi HouseState representatives
- 3Mississippi SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Mississippi
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Collins’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Collins’ government
How much does Collins spend per resident?
About $2,095 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $451 was less than 51% of 98 Mississippi cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Collins?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $511 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.61% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofcollins.com.
Who runs Collins’ government?
See cityofcollins.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Collins yet.
How did Collins vote in 2024?
Mississippi counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Collins alone. Covington County, where 100% of Collins lies, voted Trump 66.2%, Harris 33.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Collins?
43 full-time and 18 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $175,924 (about $2.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Collins in the state legislature?
State Senate District 41 (Joey Fillingane) and State House District 90 (Noah Sanford). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Collins’ 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 →