Charles McLaran House · Photo: Jack Boucher · Public domainHow is Columbus run?
Columbus’ city government spent $28.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, about $1,237 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($38.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Columbus is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
4 upcoming meetings at town hall
From Columbus’ own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
- Nov3City CouncilTuesday · 5:00 pm1st City Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Nov17City CouncilTuesday · 5:00 pm2nd City Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec1City CouncilTuesday · 5:00 pm1st City Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
- Dec15City CouncilTuesday · 5:00 pm2nd City Council MeetingMeeting page ↗Add to calendar
Recent meetings
- Oct28City CouncilWednesday · 10:30 amOne Time EventAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct20City CouncilTuesday · 5:00 pm2nd City Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct15City CouncilThursday · 10:00 amOne Time EventAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct8City CouncilThursday · 11:30 amOne Time EventMeeting page ↗
- Oct6City CouncilTuesday · 5:00 pm1st City Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗About $1,237 per resident a year, or $3.39 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison for Columbus yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Columbus’ 2022 operating figures are mostly a Census estimate, so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2023; the next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →Day-to-day spending is up 11% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Columbus 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: $1,112 · 2023: $1,237.
full-time in March 2025, up from 268 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,199 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.95% 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 Columbus’ 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 Columbus’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Columbus →
Who’s in charge in Columbus
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 80 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (23,319).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Columbus Municipal School District
Columbus’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,627 per pupil, $6,592 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.
Lowndes County School District · $11,573 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Columbus’ votes are counted by county
Mississippi reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbus alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lowndes County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican53.6%13,087 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat45.4%11,096 votesOthers: 1.0% (243 votes).
Most votes in Lowndes County: Donald J Trump
Mississippi: Trump 60.9%, Harris 38.0%
100% of Columbus lies in Lowndes County. Every 2024 race in Lowndes County is on the county’s page.
Lowndes 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 Columbus.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Mississippi HouseColumbus is split between 3 districts
- 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 Columbus’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Columbus’ government
How much does Columbus spend per resident?
About $1,237 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Columbus?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,199 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.95% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Columbus’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Columbus yet.
How did Columbus vote in 2024?
Mississippi counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbus alone. Lowndes County, where 100% of Columbus lies, voted Trump 53.6%, Harris 45.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Columbus?
292 full-time and 51 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.5M (about $17.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Columbus in the state legislature?
Columbus is split among 3 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Mississippi Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
When is the next public meeting in Columbus?
The next posted meeting is City Council on Tuesday, November 3, at 5:00 pm, from the city’s own agenda portal.
Ask neighbors about Columbus’ 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 →