Town Hall · Columbus

Columbus, GA town hall & government

Columbus spent $512.9 million in the year to June 30, 2024, about $2,532 per resident.

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

Local leadership

Who runs Columbus

B. H. "Skip" Henderson IIIMayor Wikidata ↗ Out of date?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 If a name is out of date, tell us: when two neighbors agree, it's hidden until the records catch up.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 Columbus's money goes

Spent
$512.9 million
fiscal year to June 30, 2024
Per resident
$2,532
typical Georgia cities: $2,700
Long-term debt
$445 million
$2,196 per resident
Administration & buildings
$95.3 million19%
Police
$68.1 million13%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$61.2 million12%
Roads & transportation
$54 million11%
Sewer & trash
$51.7 million10%
Fire
$41.5 million8%
Water & other utilities
$22.1 million4%
Parks & libraries
$16.8 million3%
Interest on debt
$11.3 million2%
Paid to other governments
$9.1 million2%
Health & welfare
$8.2 million2%
Housing & development
$5.9 million1%
Other
$67.6 million13%

Where the money comes from

  • From other local governments 27%
  • Fees & charges 18%
  • Property taxes 17%
  • Interest, fines & other 11%
  • Sales taxes 8%
  • Utility sales 6%
  • From the federal government 5%
  • Other taxes & licenses 5%
  • From the state 2%
Town workforce · Census estimate

Who works for Columbus

Full-time staff
2,813
504 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$62,400
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
799
and 402 full-time firefighters
Police
936 full-time80 part
Fire
409 full-time
Courts, inspections & corrections
347 full-time39 part
Parks & libraries
141 full-time294 part
Roads & transportation
257 full-time3 part
Administration & buildings
144 full-time8 part
Sewer & trash
134 full-time12 part
Health & welfare
41 full-time66 part
Housing & development
27 full-time
Water & other utilities
19 full-time
Other
358 full-time2 part

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2025. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate. Columbus didn't report its staffing to the Census Bureau, so these are the Bureau's estimates.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Muscogee County School District

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

Spending per pupil
$15,412
Georgia: $15,800
Students
29,698
in the whole district
Long-term debt
None
at year end

Where the district's money comes from Georgia districts overall: 49% local, 39% state, 12% federal

  • Local 41%
  • State 41%
  • Federal 19%

Of the $15,412 per pupil, $8,919 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 Columbus pay

Typical tax bill
$1,660
a year · Georgia typical $2,341
Effective rate
0.86%
of home value · Georgia 0.77%
Typical home value
$193,900
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 Columbus's government

🏛️ Official websitecolumbusga.org ↗

Town hall & decisions in Columbus →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Columbus

Columbus is represented in Congress by Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael G. Warnock and Representatives Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. and Brian Jack. Brian Kemp is governor.

All of Columbus'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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Columbus

Georgia · GA
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