Columbus Community Church · Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0In Columbus, 66% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across New York
Columbus’ town government spent $715,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $775 per resident.
What stands out about how Columbus is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Unadilla Valley Central School District
Columbus’ K–12 school district, shared with New Berlin, New Berlin, Pittsfield. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $28,112 per pupil, $17,060 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.
New York districts overall: 51% local, 41% state, 8% federal.
Sherburne-Earlville Central School District · $28,685 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $775 per resident a year, or $2.12 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 49%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$775 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Columbus’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($775 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 368 New York towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $662, and the middle half spent $490–$966. Columbus spent more than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
New York towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Columbus itself left out).
No trend yet
Columbus reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $3,071 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.46% of the home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York.
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 town employee for every 231 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (922).
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.
How Columbus voted in 2024
Official results for Columbus’ own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican74.9%322 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.9%107 votesOthers: 0.2% (1 votes).
Most votes in Columbus: Donald J Trump
Chenango County: Trump 63.1%, Harris 36.1% · New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%
of Columbus’ 656 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across New York: 59%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Columbus: Michael D Sapraicone
Chenango County: Sapraicone 59.8%, Gillibrand 39.7% · New York: Gillibrand 58.8%, Sapraicone 40.5%
Most votes in the district: Josh Riley
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Columbus, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | 74.9% | 24.9% | 0.2% | 430 |
| Chenango County | 63.1% | 36.1% | 0.8% | 22,655 |
| New York | 43.3% | 55.9% | 0.8% | 8,262,600 |
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 townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2New York AssemblyState representatives
- 3New York SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New York
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Columbus compares with the towns next door
Columbus spent $775 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $462 to $580. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Brookfield | $462 | $3,197 |
| New Berlin | $469 | $3,315 |
| Sherburne | $580 | $3,608 |
| Edmeston | estimate | $2,019 |
| Pittsfield | estimate | $2,006 |
| Columbus | $775 | $3,071 |
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
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Columbus’ government
How much does Columbus spend per resident?
About $775 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $775 was more than 62% of 368 New York towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Columbus?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,071 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.46% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’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?
For president, Donald J Trump 74.9%, Kamala D Harris 24.9% (430 votes, official results). Chenango County: Trump 63.1%, Harris 36.1%. New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%.
How many people work for Columbus?
4 full-time and 6 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $19,986 (about $239,832 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Columbus in the state legislature?
State Senate District 53 (Joe Griffo) and Assembly District 121 (Joe Angelino). The Assembly district also covers 57 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; 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 →