Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainColumbus spent less per resident in 2022 than 70% of similar cities
Columbus’ city government spent $29 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,200 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.2 million) and the airport ($368,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Columbus is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,176 per resident in 2022: less than 70% of them
Columbus’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,176 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 44 Nebraska cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,403, and the middle half spent $1,120–$1,738. Columbus spent less than 70% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($5.8 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 →
Nebraska cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Columbus itself left out).
About $1,200 per resident a year, or $3.29 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: parks & libraries, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 5% 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: $1,176 · 2023: $1,153 · 2024: $1,200.
full-time in March 2025, up from 208 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 $2,990 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.40% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska.
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.
Columbus’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on columbusne.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 108 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 2024 finance file (24,195).
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 Public Schools
Columbus’ K–12 school district, shared with Duncan, Butler Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,742 per pupil, $8,293 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.
Nebraska districts overall: 56% local, 34% state, 10% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Columbus’ votes are counted by county
Nebraska 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 Platte County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican78.7%12,326 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat20.4%3,191 votesOthers: 0.9% (141 votes).
Most votes in Platte County: Donald J Trump
Nebraska: Trump 59.3%, Harris 38.9%
100% of Columbus lies in Platte County. Every 2024 race in Platte County is on the county’s page.
Platte 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: columbusne.us ↗
- 2Nebraska SenateState senator
- 3GovernorStatewide
- 4U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 5U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Nebraska
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Columbus compares with the towns next door
Columbus spent $1,176 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus Township | $101 | $2,427 |
| Columbus | $1,176 | $2,990 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
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 $1,200 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 $1,176 was less than 70% of 44 Nebraska cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Columbus?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,990 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.40% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Nebraska. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see columbusne.us.
Who runs Columbus’ government?
See columbusne.us 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?
Nebraska counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbus alone. Platte County, where 100% of Columbus lies, voted Trump 78.7%, Harris 20.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Columbus?
224 full-time and 14 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.4M (about $17.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Columbus in the state legislature?
State Senate District 22 (Mike Moser). 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 →