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Town Hall · Athens

How Athens is run

Athens spent $307,000 in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,371 per resident.

Photo: Billy Hathorn
City budget
$307,000
spent, year to December 31, 2023
Per resident
$1,371
Below typical Louisiana cities ($2,626)
Long-term debt
None
at year end
City staff
0
full-time · 5 part-time
Typical tax bill
$211
a year · LA $1,180

What stands out about how Athens 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 $1,371 per resident a year, or $3.76 a day

The biggest line: water & other utilities, at 50% of spending.

Where the money comes from
From the state 29%Utility sales 25%Interest, fines & other 23%Sales taxes 14%Other taxes & licenses 5%Property taxes 4%
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $211 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.25% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Louisiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Louisiana$1,180
Athens$211
$211
typical bill a year
0.25%
effective rate
$84,000
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Claiborne Parish School District

Athens’s K–12 school district, shared with Haynesville, Homer, Lisbon, Junction City. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Athens →
$17,387
per pupil · LA $15,623
1,712
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $17,387 per pupil, $8,706 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 30%State 45%Federal 24%

Louisiana districts overall: 47% local, 34% state, 19% federal.

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

Over the years

Per resident, spending is up 18% since 2022

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

Spending per resident by year

2022 *$1,166
2023$1,371
$307,000
spent in 2023
$309,000
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 Athens

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

Who works for Athens

0 full-time staff

On the payroll in March 2022.

By department full-time, plus part-time

Administration & buildings0 + 4 pt
Police0 + 1 pt
0
full-time
5
part-time

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

Who represents Athens

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Athens.

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

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

Reach Athens’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 Athens is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Athens 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. 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 Athens

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Add to the handbook

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