Photo: Montanabw · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Columbus run?
Columbus’ city government spent $3.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,747 per resident. Water and other utilities ($394,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Columbus is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,747 per resident a year, or $4.79 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 21%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
No comparison or trend for Columbus yet
The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Columbus’ 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2023 only (2022 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,777 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.63% of the home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana.
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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
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.
Columbus’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on townofcolumbus.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 232 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,856).
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.
Columbus Elementary School District
Columbus’ elementary school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,274 per pupil, $6,442 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.
Montana districts overall: 44% local, 39% state, 17% federal.
Columbus High School District · $13,808 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Columbus’ votes are counted by county
Montana 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 Stillwater County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican79.6%4,699 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat17.9%1,056 votesOthers: 2.6% (151 votes).
Most votes in Stillwater County: Donald J Trump
Montana: Trump 58.4%, Harris 38.5%
100% of Columbus lies in Stillwater County. Every 2024 race in Stillwater County is on the county’s page.
Stillwater 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 & councilOfficials: townofcolumbus.com ↗
- 2Montana HouseState representatives
- 3Montana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Montana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Columbus’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Columbus’ government
How much does Columbus spend per resident?
About $1,747 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau.
What is the property tax rate in Columbus?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,777 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.63% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Montana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofcolumbus.com.
Who runs Columbus’ government?
See townofcolumbus.com for current officials. 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?
Montana counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbus alone. Stillwater County, where 100% of Columbus lies, voted Trump 79.6%, Harris 17.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Columbus?
8 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $52,252 (about $627,024 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Columbus in the state legislature?
State Senate District 28 (Forrest Mandeville) and State House District 56 (Fiona Nave). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
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 →