Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Columbus run?
Columbus’ city government spent $290,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $2,197 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Columbus didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Columbus is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $2,197 per resident a year, or $6.02 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Columbus didn’t report all of its 2023 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Columbus yet
Every year of Columbus’ figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022–2023. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $620 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.91% of the home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota.
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.
One full-time city employee for every 44 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 (132).
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.
Burke Central Public School District 36
Columbus’ K–12 school district, shared with Dale Township, Fay Township, Flaxton, Foothills Township, Lignite and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $27,112 per pupil, $16,416 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.
North Dakota districts overall: 40% local, 46% state, 14% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Columbus’ votes are counted by county
North Dakota 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 Burke County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican86.1%909 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat12.3%130 votesOthers: 1.6% (17 votes).
Most votes in Burke County: Donald J Trump
North Dakota: Trump 67.0%, Harris 30.5%
100% of Columbus lies in Burke County. Every 2024 race in Burke County is on the county’s page.
Burke 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.
- 2North Dakota HouseState representatives
- 3North Dakota SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of North Dakota
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 $2,197 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, a Census Bureau estimate (Columbus didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $352,000.
What is the property tax rate in Columbus?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $620 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.91% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.99% across North Dakota. 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?
North Dakota counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbus alone. Burke County, where 100% of Columbus lies, voted Trump 86.1%, Harris 12.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Columbus?
3 full-time and 3 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $11,044 (about $132,528 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Columbus in the state legislature?
State Senate District 2 (Mark Enget) and State House District 2 (Bert Anderson and Donald Longmuir). The House district also covers 139 other towns. 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 (for Columbus, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →