Town Hall · Columbia

Columbia, MS town hall & government

Columbia spent $8.8 million in the year to September 30, 2022, about $1,505 per resident.

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

Town budget

Where Columbia's money goes

Spent
$8.8 million
fiscal year to September 30, 2022
Per resident
$1,505
typical Mississippi cities: $1,480
Long-term debt
$6.1 million
$1,041 per resident
Police
$1.8 million20%
Administration & buildings
$1.5 million17%
Sewer & trash
$1.5 million17%
Roads & transportation
$1.3 million14%
Fire
$1 million12%
Water & other utilities
$624,0007%
Parks & libraries
$538,0006%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$312,0004%
Health & welfare
$5,000<1%
Other
$280,0003%

Where the money comes from

  • From the state 52%
  • Fees & charges 19%
  • Property taxes 12%
  • Interest, fines & other 7%
  • Utility sales 6%
  • Sales taxes 3%
  • Other taxes & licenses 1%
Town workforce · Census estimate

Who works for Columbia

Full-time staff
96
24 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$55,700
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
37
and 24 full-time firefighters
Police
37 full-time12 part
Fire
24 full-time4 part
Roads & transportation
13 full-time6 part
Administration & buildings
11 full-time1 part
Courts, inspections & corrections
6 full-time1 part
Parks & libraries
2 full-time
Water & other utilities
2 full-time
Housing & development
1 full-time

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

Schools · school year 2023–24

Columbia School District

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

Spending per pupil
$12,450
Mississippi: $12,392
Students
1,630
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$18.9 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from Mississippi districts overall: 33% local, 45% state, 23% federal

  • Local 28%
  • State 46%
  • Federal 26%

Of the $12,450 per pupil, $7,567 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.

Also serving Columbia: Marion County School District ($15,158 per pupil).

Property tax

What homeowners in Columbia pay

Typical tax bill
$1,274
a year · Mississippi typical $1,215
Effective rate
0.97%
of home value · Mississippi 0.72%
Typical home value
$131,700
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 Columbia's government

🏛️ Official websitecityofcolumbiams.com ↗

Town hall & decisions in Columbia →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Columbia

Columbia is represented in Congress by Senators Roger F. Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith and Representative Michael Guest. Tate Reeves is governor.

All of Columbia'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.

The coffee’s on

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01