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Town Hall · Smithville

How Smithville is run

Smithville spent $9.3 million in the year to June 30, 2023, about $1,812 per resident.

Town website
City budget
$9.3 million
spent, year to June 30, 2023
Per resident
$1,812
Below typical Tennessee cities ($3,110)
Long-term debt
$2.2 million
$426 per resident
City staff
32
full-time · 14 part-time
Typical tax bill
$736
a year · TN $1,442

What stands out about how Smithville 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 $1,812 per resident a year, or $4.96 a day

The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 24% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 24%Fees & charges 20%Utility sales 17%Property taxes 16%From the state 16%Interest, fines & other 6%Other taxes & licenses 1%From other local governments <1%From the federal government <1%
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $736 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.38% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Tennessee.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Tennessee$1,442
Smithville$736
$736
typical bill a year
0.38%
effective rate
$194,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

The school district

DeKalb County School District

Smithville’s K–12 school district, shared with Alexandria, Dowelltown, Liberty. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Smithville →
$11,339
per pupil · TN $13,059
2,933
students
$1.5 million
long-term debt

Of the $11,339 per pupil, $7,236 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 17%State 65%Federal 18%

Tennessee districts overall: 40% local, 44% state, 16% federal.

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

Over the years

Per resident, spending is down 54% since 2022

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

Spending per resident by year

2022$3,857
2023$1,812
2024 *$1,759
$9.3 million
spent in 2024
$9.3 million
spent in 2023

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Smithville

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

Who works for Smithville

One full-time town employee for every 161 residents

On the payroll in March 2022.

By department full-time, plus part-time

Police8 + 7 pt
Sewer & trash10
Water & other utilities6 + 3 pt
Administration & buildings5 + 2 pt
Parks & libraries1 + 2 pt
Roads & transportation1
Other1
32
full-time
14
part-time
$47,400
average full-time pay, before benefits
8
sworn police officers

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

Who represents Smithville

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Smithville.

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

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

Reach Smithville’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 →
Official websitesmithvilletn.com ↗

Questions about how Smithville is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Smithville 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.

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Add to the handbook

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