Overview
Columbus’s adopted 2024 budget authorizes $4,661,987 of expenditures including the Recreation Commission ($4,603,462 for the city itself), backed by $1,681,363 of 2023 ad valorem tax ($1,626,843 city-only). The General Fund dominates at $3,318,567 of authority (ad valorem $989,648). At January 1, 2023 the city carried $2,763,620 of indebtedness — $2,315,000 of general obligation bonds plus $448,620 of KDOT/KDHE loans — with $211,342 of principal due in 2024.
At a glance — adopted 2024
Source: City of Columbus 2024 adopted budget, certificate and indebtedness statement.
Funds — adopted 2024
City-only totals reconcile exactly: $4,603,462 + $58,525 recreation authority = $4,661,987, and $1,626,843 + $54,520 recreation ad valorem = $1,681,363. Budget authority is a ceiling, not spending; the General Fund page shows 2022 actual expenditures of $2,274,183 rising to the 2024 authority of $3,318,567.
| Fund | Budget authority | Ad valorem tax |
|---|---|---|
| General | $3,318,567 | $989,648 |
| Library | $149,800 | $140,533 |
| Employee Benefits | $600,000 | $496,662 |
| Special Highway | $62,541 | — |
| Recreation Commission | $58,525 | $54,520 |
| TOTAL incl. recreation | $4,661,987 | $1,681,363 |
Source: City of Columbus 2024 adopted budget, certificate and fund pages.
Debt — adopted 2024
Statement of Indebtedness at January 1, 2023: two general obligation issues (Sewer Series 2019, $1,290,000, 3.00%, due 2034; Series 2021, $1,025,000, 0.5–3.0%, due 2041) plus two loans (KDOT #TR-0054, $148,551; KDHE #C20 1742, $300,069). No revenue bonds. A fire-truck lease-purchase ($70,363 balance at January 1, 2023) is listed separately, with $33,867 due in 2024.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| General obligation bonds, Jan 1, 2023 | $2,315,000 |
| KDOT / KDHE loans, Jan 1, 2023 | $448,620 |
| Total indebtedness, Jan 1, 2023 | $2,763,620 |
| Principal due 2024 | $211,342 |
| Fire-truck lease-purchase due 2024 | $33,867 |
Source: City of Columbus 2024 adopted budget, indebtedness and lease-purchase statements.
Sources & notes
- Source used: City of Columbus, Kansas, 2024 adopted budget (Kansas Department of Administration, Municipal Budgets — Cherokee County 2024) Read the source document; portal page: Cherokee County 2024 listing.
- Sum checks: $4,603,462 + $58,525 = $4,661,987; $1,626,843 + $54,520 = $1,681,363; $1,290,000 + $1,025,000 = $2,315,000; $2,315,000 + $448,620 = $2,763,620.
- Basis flag: adopted budget, not actuals; dated basis (2024). The source is a scanned single-image PDF with imperfect character recognition; every figure on this page was cross-checked between at least two pages of the document (certificate, fund page, or indebtedness statement) before use.
- Photo: no verified hero photo was found for Columbus within the attempt cap, so this page ships without a photo rather than with an unverified or generic substitute.
- Identity: this is Columbus, Kansas, county seat of Cherokee County.
- Jurisdiction palette: no verified palette was on file for this jurisdiction, so this page uses the neutral Hometown Numbers dark-glass theme rather than a jurisdiction color.