Varner-Hogg Plantation · Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0How is West Columbia run?
West Columbia’s city government spent $4.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $1,139 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: West Columbia didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how West Columbia is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,139 per resident a year, or $3.12 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
West Columbia didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for West Columbia yet
Every year of West Columbia’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the city reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $2,561 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.82% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at West 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 West Columbia’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in West Columbia →
Who’s in charge in West Columbia
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 116 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 (3,830).
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.
Columbia-Brazoria Independent School District
West Columbia’s K–12 school district, shared with Brazoria. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,992 per pupil, $6,780 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.
Texas districts overall: 51% local, 36% state, 13% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
West Columbia’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for West Columbia alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Brazoria County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.2%95,867 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.5%63,976 votesOthers: 1.4% (2,203 votes).
Most votes in Brazoria County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of West Columbia lies in Brazoria County. Every 2024 race in Brazoria County is on the county’s page.
Brazoria 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 West Columbia.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Texas HouseState representatives
- 3Texas SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach West Columbia’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about West Columbia’s government
How much does West Columbia spend per resident?
About $1,139 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (West Columbia didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $6.2 million.
What is the property tax rate in West Columbia?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,561 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.82% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs West Columbia’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for West Columbia yet.
How did West Columbia vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for West Columbia alone. Brazoria County, where 100% of West Columbia lies, voted Trump 59.2%, Harris 39.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for West Columbia?
33 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $151,717 (about $1.8M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents West Columbia in the state legislature?
State Senate District 17 (Joan Huffman) and State House District 25 (Cody Vasut). The House district also covers 20 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about West Columbia’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 (for West Columbia, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →