Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Bells spent less per resident in 2022 than 74% of similar cities
Bells’ city government spent $6.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,559 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bells is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$2,315 per resident in 2022: less than 74% of them
Bells’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,315 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 Tennessee cities that run their own schools: the median was $2,960, and the middle half spent $2,438–$3,382. Bells spent less than 74% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($716,000), 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 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bells itself left out).
About $2,559 per resident a year, or $7.01 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 71% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Bells runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Tennessee cities that run their own schools.
Day-to-day spending is up 12% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bells 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: $2,315 · 2023: $2,397 · 2024: $2,559.
full-time in March 2025, up from 70 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,280 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.76% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bells’ 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 Bells’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bells →
Who’s in charge in Bells
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 31 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (2,458).
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.
Bells City School District
Bells’ elementary school district. The schools are run by Bells, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $10,793 per pupil, $6,642 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.
Bells’ votes are counted by county
Tennessee reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bells alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Crockett County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican78.9%4,674 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat20.2%1,196 votesOthers: 0.9% (51 votes).
Most votes in Crockett County: Donald J Trump
Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%
100% of Bells lies in Crockett County. Every 2024 race in Crockett County is on the county’s page.
Crockett 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 Bells.
- 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.
Reach Bells’ government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Bells’ government
How much does Bells spend per resident?
About $2,559 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,315 was less than 74% of 23 Tennessee cities that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bells?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,280 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.76% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Bells’ government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bells yet.
How did Bells vote in 2024?
Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bells alone. Crockett County, where 100% of Bells lies, voted Trump 78.9%, Harris 20.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bells?
79 full-time and 21 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $299,827 (about $3.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bells in the state legislature?
State Senate District 25 (Ed Jackson) and State House District 82 (Chris Hurt). The House district also covers 18 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bells’ 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 →