City government · Forrest County, MS

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), Petal took in $21.2 million and spent $17.9 million.

Latest recorded year: ended September 30, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

State tax money40%City taxes31%Fees for services (water, sewer)27%Fines and other1.8%

What stands out

40%

of Petal's money comes from state tax money.A typical U.S. city of 10,000 to 50,000 people gets 7%.

City taxes31%

Property tax
28%$6.0 million
Other taxes
2.8%$590 thousand
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes
  • Public utility taxes$590 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services27%

Fees for services
27%$5.7 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 3 more
  • Water$3.0 million
  • Sewer$1.4 million
  • Garbage collection$1.0 million
  • Other service charges$218 thousand
  • Parks and recreation$102 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

State tax money40%

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

From the state
40%$8.6 million

Fines and other1.8%

Fines
1.3%$281 thousand
Interest, rents and other
0.5%$106 thousand

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails34%Water, sewer, trash and utilities32%Roads, transit and parking17%Parks, recreation and libraries11%Running the government and other costs5.6%Interest on debt1.4%

What stands out

5.6%

of Petal's spending goes to running the government and other costs.A typical U.S. city of 10,000 to 50,000 people spends 18%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
34%$6.1 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsFire protection; police and 2 more
  • Fire protection$2.8 million
  • Police$2.7 million
  • Courts and legal services$285 thousand
  • Inspections and regulation$268 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
32%$5.7 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems; water supply and 1 more
  • Sewer systems$3.0 million
  • Water supply$1.7 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$989 thousand
Roads, transit and parking
17%$3.0 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways
  • Roads and highways$3.0 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
11%$1.9 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$1.9 million
Running the government and other costs
5.6%$1.0 million
What's in running the government and other costsCentral staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology) and finance, tax collection and budgeting
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$786 thousand
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$222 thousand
Interest on debt
1.4%$254 thousand
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$245 thousand
  • Interest on water supply debt$9 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Petal. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended September 30, 2023.

What this covers. The money of City of Petal 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.