Town Hall · Forest

Forest, MS town hall & government

Forest spent $8.5 million in the year to September 30, 2023, about $1,587 per resident.

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

Town budget

Where Forest's money goes

Spent
$8.5 million
fiscal year to September 30, 2023
Per resident
$1,587
typical Mississippi cities: $1,975
Long-term debt
None
none outstanding at year end
Sewer & trash
$2.4 million28%
Water & other utilities
$1.9 million22%
Police
$1.1 million12%
Roads & transportation
$932,00011%
Fire
$894,00011%
Parks & libraries
$567,0007%
Administration & buildings
$345,0004%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$276,0003%
Health & welfare
$140,0002%
Paid to other governments
$30,000<1%

Where the money comes from

  • Utility sales 38%
  • From the state 36%
  • Property taxes 8%
  • Fees & charges 5%
  • Sales taxes 5%
  • From other local governments 3%
  • Interest, fines & other 3%
  • Other taxes & licenses 1%
Town workforce

Who works for Forest

Full-time staff
82
7 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$36,600
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
17
and 12 full-time firefighters
Police
17 full-time2 part
Administration & buildings
17 full-time1 part
Sewer & trash
15 full-time2 part
Fire
12 full-time
Water & other utilities
7 full-time
Parks & libraries
5 full-time
Roads & transportation
4 full-time1 part
Courts, inspections & corrections
3 full-time
Health & welfare
1 full-time
Other
1 full-time1 part

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2022. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Forest Municipal School District

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

Spending per pupil
$12,600
Mississippi: $12,392
Students
1,630
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$2.7 million
at year end

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

  • Local 35%
  • State 42%
  • Federal 23%

Of the $12,600 per pupil, $6,428 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 Forest pay

Typical tax bill
$1,252
a year · Mississippi typical $1,215
Effective rate
0.89%
of home value · Mississippi 0.72%
Typical home value
$141,100
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 Forest's government

🏛️ Official websitecityofforest.com ↗

Town hall & decisions in Forest →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Forest

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

All of Forest'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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Forest

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