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Downtown Columbia, TennesseePhoto: Hmil6 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Columbia

Columbia spent more per resident in 2022 than 81% of similar cities

Columbia’s city government spent $53.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,228 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($87.6 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Next public meeting

General

9:00 am · 707 North Main Street, Conf. Room 200, Second Floor

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$53.2M
year to June 30, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$1,228
In 2022: $1,196, more than 81% of 174 similar cities
Long-term debt
$26.4M
end of FY2023, reported
City staff, 2025
541
full-time · 81 part-time · March payroll $3.5M
Typical tax bill
$1,546
0.50% of home value · TN 0.50%

What stands out about how Columbia is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends more than most similar citiesIn 2022: $1,196 per resident, more than 81% of 174 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer69% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2023).A shared school districtShares Maury County School District with 2 other towns.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Columbia’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

  • Oct27
    GeneralTuesday · 4:00 pm · 700 North Garden Street, Conf. Room A - BasementOctober 27, 2026 IDB MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct21
    Historic Zoning CommissionWednesday · 4:00 pm · City Hall, 700 North Garden Street, Council ChambersAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct14
    Columbia Municipal Planning CommissionWednesday · 4:00 pm · City Hall, 700 North Garden Street, Council ChambersPlanning CommissionAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct14
    GeneralWednesday · 9:00 am · 707 North Main Street, Conf. Room 200, Second FloorBeer BoardAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
  • Oct13
    Development Review CommitteeTuesday · 10:00 am · City Hall, 700 North Garden Street, Council ChambersAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2023 budget

About $1,228 per resident a year, or $3.36 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 26%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 51%Fees & charges 14%Sales taxes 11%Interest, fines & other 8%Property taxes 7%From the state 6%Other taxes & licenses 3%From other local governments <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $27.6 million; interest on debt $1.9 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $177.1 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,196 per resident in 2022: more than 81% of them

Columbia’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,196 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 174 Tennessee cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $646, and the middle half spent $336–$1,061. Columbia spent more than 81% of them.

Middle half of the group, $336–$1,061Median $646Columbia

Includes sewer and trash ($12.8 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 →

The group
174

Tennessee cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Columbia itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 6% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Columbia reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$50 million
2023$53.2 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,196 · 2023: $1,228.

City staff
541

full-time in March 2025, up from 503 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,546 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.50% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Spring Hill$2,271
Columbia$1,546
Tennessee$1,442
$1,546
typical bill a year
0.50%
effective rate
$308,700
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Columbia’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 Columbia’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Columbia →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Columbia

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See columbiatn.com for Columbia’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Columbia yet.columbiatn.com ↗
Who works for Columbia

One full-time city employee for every 80 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 (43,340).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Fire103 + 5 pt
Water & other utilities102
Police98 + 7 pt
Sewer & trash64 + 4 pt
Administration & buildings39 + 20 pt
Roads & transportation45 + 3 pt
Parks & libraries28 + 37 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 4 pt
Other62 + 1 pt
541
full-time
81
part-time
$3.5M
payroll for March 2025
$41.4M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$74,800
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
82
sworn police officers
88
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Columbia had 12.0 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 139 of the 174 Tennessee cities that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 7.0: Columbia had more than 76% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Maury County School District

Columbia’s K–12 school district, shared with Mount Pleasant, Spring Hill. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Columbia →
$12,099
per pupil · TN $13,059
13,084
students
$257.4 million
long-term debt

Of the $12,099 per pupil, $7,299 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 40%State 49%Federal 11%

Tennessee districts overall: 40% local, 44% state, 16% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Columbia’s votes are counted by county

Tennessee reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbia alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Maury County’s results.

President · Maury County’s results52,090 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican71.8%37,376 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat27.2%14,145 votes

Others: 1.1% (569 votes).

Most votes in Maury County: Donald J Trump

Tennessee: Trump 64.2%, Harris 34.5%

The county’s page

100% of Columbia lies in Maury County. Every 2024 race in Maury County is on the county’s page.

Maury County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

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.

Who represents Columbia

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Columbia.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: columbiatn.com ↗
  2. 2
    Tennessee HouseColumbia is split between 2 districts
    Scott CepickyKip Capley
  3. 3
    Tennessee SenateState senator
    Joey Hensley
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Bill Lee
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Andrew Ogles
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Tennessee
    Marsha BlackburnBill Hagerty
Find your state legislators by address ↗

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Columbia compares with the towns next door

Columbia spent $1,196 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spring Hill: no reported 2022 figuresSpring HillColumbia
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Spring Hillestimate$2,271
Columbia$1,196$1,546

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 Columbia’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitecolumbiatn.com ↗

Questions about Columbia’s government

How much does Columbia spend per resident?

About $1,228 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 $1,196 was more than 81% of 174 Tennessee cities that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Columbia?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,546 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.50% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see columbiatn.com.

Who runs Columbia’s government?

See columbiatn.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Columbia yet.

How did Columbia vote in 2024?

Tennessee counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Columbia alone. Maury County, where 100% of Columbia lies, voted Trump 71.8%, Harris 27.2% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Columbia?

541 full-time and 81 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.5M (about $41.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Columbia in the state legislature?

Columbia is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Tennessee Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 28 (Joey Hensley). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Columbia?

The next posted meeting is General on Wednesday, November 4, at 9:00 am in 707 North Main Street, Conf. Room 200, Second Floor, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Columbia’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →