Photo: Colin1769 · CC BY-SA 3.0Belle Meade spent more per resident in 2022 than 95% of similar cities
Belle Meade’s city government spent $5.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,898 per resident.
What stands out about how Belle Meade is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,740 per resident in 2022: more than 95% of them
Belle Meade’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,740 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 43 Tennessee cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $698, and the middle half spent $418–$1,116. Belle Meade spent more than 95% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($958,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Tennessee cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Belle Meade itself left out).
About $1,898 per resident a year, or $5.20 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 39%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 7% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Belle Meade 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: $1,740 · 2023: $1,898.
full-time in March 2025, up from 26 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
Typical bills top $10,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Belle Meade’s 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 Belle Meade’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Belle Meade →
Who’s in charge in Belle Meade
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 98 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (2,732).
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.
Metropolitan Nashville Public School District
Belle Meade’s K–12 school district, shared with Berry Hill, Forest Hills, Oak Hill, Goodlettsville. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $17,314 per pupil, $8,297 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.
Tennessee districts overall: 40% local, 44% state, 16% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Belle Meade’s votes are counted by county
Tennessee reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Belle Meade alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Davidson County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat62.7%181,862 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican35.3%102,256 votesOthers: 2.0% (5,918 votes).
Most votes in Davidson County: Kamala D Harris
Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%
100% of Belle Meade lies in Davidson County. Every 2024 race in Davidson County is on the county’s page.
Davidson 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 Belle Meade.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Tennessee HouseState representatives
- 3Tennessee SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Tennessee
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Belle Meade compares with the towns next door
Belle Meade spent $1,740 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $225. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Forest Hills | $225 | $7,279 |
| Belle Meade | $1,740 | $10,000+ |
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 Belle Meade’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Belle Meade’s government
How much does Belle Meade spend per resident?
About $1,898 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,740 was more than 95% of 43 Tennessee cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Belle Meade’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Belle Meade yet.
How did Belle Meade vote in 2024?
Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Belle Meade alone. Davidson County, where 100% of Belle Meade lies, voted Harris 62.7%, Trump 35.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Belle Meade?
28 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $183,550 (about $2.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Belle Meade in the state legislature?
State Senate District 20 (Heidi Campbell) and State House District 59 (Caleb Hemmer). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Belle Meade’s 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 →