Guest, Sign inJoin
Town Hall · Ashford

How Ashford is run

Ashford spent $221,000 in the year to September 30, 2022, about $100 per resident. (A Census Bureau estimate.)

Town website
City budget
$221,000
spent, year to September 30, 2022
Per resident
$100
Below typical Alabama cities ($1,419)
Long-term debt
$3.7 million
$1,674 per resident
City staff
19
full-time · 5 part-time
Typical tax bill
$509
a year · AL $788

What stands out about how Ashford is run

Read from the town’s budget, meetings and records. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Your share of the budget

About $100 per resident a year, or $0.27 a day

The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 62% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 56%Other taxes & licenses 13%Sales taxes 12%Interest, fines & other 12%Property taxes 6%From the federal government 2%
An estimate

Ashford didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $509 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.28% of the home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Alabama$788
Ashford$509
$509
typical bill a year
0.28%
effective rate
$180,100
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Ashford’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.

The school district

Houston County School District

Ashford’s K–12 school district, shared with Avon, Columbia, Cottonwood, Cowarts, Gordon and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Ashford →
$11,679
per pupil · AL $13,926
6,993
students
$53.4 million
long-term debt

Of the $11,679 per pupil, $6,839 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 25%State 60%Federal 15%

Alabama districts overall: 31% local, 53% state, 16% federal.

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Ashford

Local officials aren’t in the public records we use for Ashford yet. Neighbors can add them.

Who works for Ashford

One full-time town employee for every 116 residents

On the payroll in March 2022 (a Census Bureau estimate).

By department full-time, plus part-time

Police6 + 2 pt
Water & other utilities4 + 1 pt
Health & welfare3 + 1 pt
Roads & transportation3
Administration & buildings1 + 1 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections1
Parks & libraries1
19
full-time
5
part-time
$40,400
average full-time pay, before benefits
6
sworn police officers

Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it’s approximate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

Who represents Ashford

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Ashford.

Politics & elections →
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Alabama HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Alabama SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Alabama

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

Reach Ashford’s government

Numbers and hours come from neighbors and the town’s own site (the Handbook). A new one goes live once two neighbors confirm it.

The Handbook →
Official websitecityofashford.com ↗

Questions about how Ashford is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Ashford get good value for its tax dollars?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Ashford, mostly the Bureau’s estimates). School district: Census school finance survey. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates. Representatives: Open States, the Census and congress-legislators.

Post to Ashford

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in

Add to the handbook

Sign in to add to Ashford’s handbook. Every fact you add earns karma once neighbors confirm it.