City government · Cherokee County, KS

Columbus's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended December 31, 2021), Columbus took in $4.6 million and spent $3.9 million.

Latest recorded year: ended December 31, 2021Estimated by the U.S. Census BureauComes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes53%Fees for services (water, sewer)37%Fines and other3.5%State tax money3.2%County and local tax money3.2%

What stands out

13%

of Columbus' money comes from sales tax.Most U.S. cities, towns and villages of under 10,000 people get none.

City taxes53%

Property tax
32%$1.5 million
Sales tax
13%$604 thousand
Other taxes
7.9%$360 thousand
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes; other licenses and 1 more
  • Public utility taxes$318 thousand
  • Other licenses$36 thousand
  • Other selective sales taxes$6 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services37%

Fees for services
37%$1.7 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 4 more
  • Water$798 thousand
  • Sewer$400 thousand
  • Garbage collection$363 thousand
  • Other government-run businesses$57 thousand
  • Other service charges$40 thousand
  • Parks and recreation$29 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

State tax money3.2%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
3.2%$146 thousand

County and local tax money3.2%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
3.2%$145 thousand

Fines and other3.5%

Interest, rents and other
2.9%$132 thousand
Fines
0.6%$26 thousand

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities30%Police, fire, courts and jails25%Running the government and other costs25%Roads, transit and parking11%Parks, recreation and libraries8.2%All other spending1.3%

What stands out

25%

of Columbus' spending goes to police, fire, courts and jails.A typical U.S. city, town or village of under 10,000 people spends 11%.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
30%$1.2 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems and garbage and solid waste
  • Sewer systems$833 thousand
  • Garbage and solid waste$335 thousand
Police, fire, courts and jails
25%$993 thousand
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice and fire protection
  • Police$624 thousand
  • Fire protection$369 thousand
Running the government and other costs
25%$976 thousand
What's in running the government and other costsOther and not broken out; central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and 2 more
  • Other and not broken out$522 thousand
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$266 thousand
  • Government buildings$127 thousand
  • Other government-run businesses$61 thousand
Roads, transit and parking
11%$421 thousand
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$421 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
8.2%$323 thousand
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$196 thousand
  • Libraries$127 thousand
Health and hospitals
1.2%$47 thousand
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$47 thousand
Interest on debt
0.2%$6 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Columbus. U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments, Finance, individual unit file, fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. Most of this government's figures were estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau from a sample; the government did not report them itself. The Census record for this government is from the 2022 survey, the newest on file.

What this covers. The money of City of Columbus itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.