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Town Hall · Madrid

How Madrid is run

Madrid spent $83,000 in the year to September 30, 2023, about $313 per resident. (A Census Bureau estimate.)

City budget
$83,000
spent, year to September 30, 2023
Per resident
$313
Below typical Alabama cities ($2,450)
Long-term debt
$38,000
$143 per resident
City staff
0
full-time · 9 part-time
Typical tax bill
$288
a year · AL $788

What stands out about how Madrid 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 $313 per resident a year, or $0.86 a day

The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 39% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 62%Other taxes & licenses 18%From the state 17%Interest, fines & other 2%Fees & charges 1%
An estimate

Madrid didn’t report all of its 2023 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $288 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.24% of the home’s value, vs 0.38% across Alabama.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Alabama$788
Madrid$288
$288
typical bill a year
0.24%
effective rate
$122,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Madrid’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

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

Schools in Madrid →
$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.

Over the years

Per resident, spending is up 15% since 2022

Spending per resident, by fiscal year. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Spending per resident by year

2022 *$273
2023 *$313
$83,000
spent in 2023
$80,000
spent in 2022

* A Census Bureau estimate for that year (the town didn’t report most of its figures).

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Madrid

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

Who works for Madrid

0 full-time staff

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

By department full-time, plus part-time

Administration & buildings0 + 9 pt
0
full-time
9
part-time

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

Who represents Madrid

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Madrid.

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 Madrid’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 →

Questions about how Madrid is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Madrid 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 Madrid, 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 Madrid

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Add to the handbook

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