City government · Stillwater County, MT

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended June 30, 2022), Columbus took in $3.8 million and spent $2.8 million.

Latest recorded year: ended June 30, 2022Estimated by the U.S. Census BureauComes fromGoes to

See every government that serves your ZIP

Where it comes from

City taxes42%Fees for services (water, sewer)33%State tax money21%Fines and other3.4%

What stands out

42%

of Columbus' money comes from property tax.A typical U.S. city, town or village of under 10,000 people gets 15%.

City taxes42%

Property tax
42%$1.6 million
Other taxes
0.3%$10 thousand
What's in other taxesOther licenses and alcoholic beverage licenses
  • Other licenses$7 thousand
  • Alcoholic beverage licenses$3 thousand

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services33%

Fees for services
33%$1.3 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; sewer and 3 more
  • Water$510 thousand
  • Sewer$418 thousand
  • Garbage collection$273 thousand
  • Other service charges$50 thousand
  • Parks and recreation$13 thousand

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

State tax money21%

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

From the state
21%$816 thousand

Fines and other3.4%

Interest, rents and other
2.5%$97 thousand
Fines
0.8%$32 thousand

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails35%Water, sewer, trash and utilities29%Roads, transit and parking12%Running the government and other costs11%Parks, recreation and libraries8.1%All other spending4.3%

What stands out

35%

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%

Police, fire, courts and jails
35%$1.0 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; courts and legal services and 2 more
  • Police$695 thousand
  • Courts and legal services$192 thousand
  • Fire protection$95 thousand
  • Inspections and regulation$19 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
29%$830 thousand
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesGarbage and solid waste; water supply and 1 more
  • Garbage and solid waste$314 thousand
  • Water supply$299 thousand
  • Sewer systems$217 thousand
Roads, transit and parking
12%$335 thousand
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and airports
  • Roads and highways$300 thousand
  • Airports$35 thousand
Running the government and other costs
11%$325 thousand
What's in running the government and other costsFinance, tax collection and budgeting; other and not broken out and 3 more
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$88 thousand
  • Other and not broken out$85 thousand
  • Government buildings$66 thousand
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$44 thousand
  • Other government-run businesses$42 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
8.1%$230 thousand
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation and libraries
  • Parks and recreation$228 thousand
  • Libraries$2 thousand
Interest on debt
2.3%$64 thousand
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$42 thousand
  • Interest on water supply debt$22 thousand
Health and hospitals
2.1%$59 thousand
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$59 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 June 30, 2022. 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.