Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0Aurora spent more per resident in 2022 than 80% of similar cities
Aurora’s city government spent $4.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,184 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Aurora is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,539 per resident in 2022: more than 80% of them
Aurora’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,539 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,137, and the middle half spent $754–$1,419. Aurora spent more than 80% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($853,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Aurora itself left out).
About $1,184 per resident a year, or $3.24 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 49%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 27% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Aurora reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,539 · 2023: $1,184.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,284 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.98% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Aurora’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.
Tax bills are one input to Aurora’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Aurora →
Who’s in charge in Aurora
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Aurora’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on aurora.in.us ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 112 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (3,487).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
South Dearborn Community School Corporation
Aurora’s K–12 school district, shared with Caesar Creek Township, Center Township, Clay Township, Dillsboro, Hogan Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,257 per pupil, $7,249 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.
Indiana districts overall: 33% local, 56% state, 11% federal.
Lawrenceburg Community School Corporation · $11,287 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Aurora.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: aurora.in.us ↗
- 2Indiana HouseState representatives
- 3Indiana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Aurora compares with the towns next door
Aurora spent $1,539 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lawrenceburg Township | $5 | $1,655 |
| Center Township | $7 | $1,320 |
| Hogan Township | $29 | $1,557 |
| Lawrenceburg | $5,463 | $1,615 |
| Aurora | $1,539 | $1,284 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Aurora’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Aurora’s government
How much does Aurora spend per resident?
About $1,184 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,539 was more than 80% of 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Aurora?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,284 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.98% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see aurora.in.us.
Who runs Aurora’s government?
See aurora.in.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Aurora yet.
How many people work for Aurora?
31 full-time and 43 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $144,840 (about $1.7M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Aurora in the state legislature?
State Senate District 43 (Randy Maxwell) and State House District 68 (Garrett Bascom). The House district also covers 35 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Aurora’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →