Town Hall · Bessemer

Bessemer, AL town hall & government

Bessemer spent $131.5 million in the year to September 30, 2023, about $5,133 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Bessemer's government.

Local leadership

Who runs Bessemer

Kenneth E. GulleyMayorSince 2014 Wikidata ↗ Out of date? Sign in to tell us

From public records (Open States and Wikidata), which can lag behind an election. If a name is out of date, tell us: when two neighbors agree, it's hidden until the records catch up.

Town budget

Where Bessemer's money goes

Spent
$131.5 million
fiscal year to September 30, 2023
Per resident
$5,133
typical Alabama cities: $2,450
Long-term debt
$46.5 million
$1,816 per resident
Water & other utilities
$55.7 million42%
Housing & development
$14.9 million11%
Police
$13.3 million10%
Fire
$12.9 million10%
Administration & buildings
$10.7 million8%
Roads & transportation
$4.9 million4%
Parks & libraries
$3.6 million3%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$3 million2%
Interest on debt
$2.4 million2%
Health & welfare
$2.4 million2%
Sewer & trash
$212,000<1%
Other
$7.5 million6%

Where the money comes from

  • Utility sales 40%
  • Sales taxes 27%
  • Income taxes 6%
  • From the state 6%
  • Property taxes 6%
  • Interest, fines & other 5%
  • Fees & charges 4%
  • Other taxes & licenses 3%
  • From the federal government 3%
Town workforce

Who works for Bessemer

Full-time staff
473
no part-time staff
Average full-time pay
$61,400
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
90
and 94 full-time firefighters
Sewer & trash
124 full-time
Fire
111 full-time
Police
100 full-time
Parks & libraries
37 full-time
Administration & buildings
31 full-time
Courts, inspections & corrections
26 full-time
Roads & transportation
18 full-time
Housing & development
10 full-time
Other
16 full-time

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2025. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Bessemer City School District

Bessemer's K–12 school district. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$18,309
Alabama: $13,926
Students
3,121
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$5.7 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from Alabama districts overall: 31% local, 53% state, 16% federal

  • Local 25%
  • State 45%
  • Federal 30%

Of the $18,309 per pupil, $8,623 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Property tax

What homeowners in Bessemer pay

Typical tax bill
$883
a year · Alabama typical $788
Effective rate
0.65%
of home value · Alabama 0.38%
Typical home value
$135,900
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Local

Contact Bessemer's government

🏛️ Official websitebessemeral.org ↗

Town hall & decisions in Bessemer →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Bessemer

Bessemer is represented in Congress by Senators Tommy Tuberville and Katie Boyd Britt and Representative Terri A. Sewell. Kay Ivey is governor.

All of Bessemer's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

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Bessemer

Alabama · AL
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