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Chalmers Indiana South DowntownPhoto: Mitchell Cooper · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Chalmers

Chalmers spent more per resident in 2022 than 86% of similar cities

Chalmers’ town government spent $670,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,359 per resident. Water and other utilities ($610,000) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Indiana.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$670,000
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$1,359
In 2022: $1,359, more than 86% of 363 similar cities
Long-term debt
$1.0M
end of 2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
6
full-time · 11 part-time · March payroll $10,458
Typical tax bill
$987
0.61% of home value · IN 0.74%

What stands out about how Chalmers is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$1,359 per resident in 2022: more than 86% of them

Chalmers’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,359 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $586, and the middle half spent $292–$960. Chalmers spent more than 86% of them.

Middle half of the group, $292–$960Median $586Chalmers

Includes sewer and trash ($148,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
363

Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Chalmers itself left out).

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,359 per resident a year, or $3.72 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 22%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 47%Fees & charges 24%From the state 15%Interest, fines & other 8%Property taxes 7%From other local governments <1%Sales taxes <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $28,000; interest on debt $42,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $1.4 million.
About “Other”.40% of Chalmers’ day-to-day spending ($265,000) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Over the years

No trend yet

Chalmers reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $987 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.61% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Indiana$1,614
Chalmers$987
$987
typical bill a year
0.61%
effective rate
$162,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Chalmers’ 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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.

Tax bills are one input to Chalmers’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Chalmers →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Chalmers

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See chalmers.in.gov for Chalmers’ current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Chalmers yet.chalmers.in.gov ↗
Agendas

Chalmers’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on chalmers.in.gov ↗.

Who works for Chalmers

One full-time town employee for every 82 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (493).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Water & other utilities6 + 1 pt
Administration & buildings0 + 6 pt
Police0 + 4 pt
6
full-time
11
part-time
$10,458
payroll for March 2022
$125,496
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$9,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
Compared, 2022.Chalmers had 12.2 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 221 of the 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 4.3: Chalmers had more than 92% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Frontier School Corporation

Chalmers’ K–12 school district, shared with Big Creek Township, Brookston, Prairie Township, West Point Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Chalmers →
$14,051
per pupil · IN $13,688
664
students
$4.8 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,051 per pupil, $7,727 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.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 38%State 55%Federal 6%

Indiana districts overall: 33% local, 56% state, 11% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Who represents Chalmers

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Chalmers.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
  2. 2
    Indiana HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Indiana SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Reach Chalmers’ government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Chalmers’ government

How much does Chalmers spend per resident?

About $1,359 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,359 was more than 86% of 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Chalmers?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $987 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.61% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see chalmers.in.gov.

Who runs Chalmers’ government?

See chalmers.in.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Chalmers yet.

How many people work for Chalmers?

6 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $10,458 (about $125,496 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Chalmers in the state legislature?

State Senate District 5 (Ed Charbonneau) and State House District 16 (Kendell Culp). The House district also covers 48 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Chalmers’ government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

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 →