Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainColumbus spent less per resident in 2022 than 67% of similar cities
Columbus’ city government spent $707,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $14 per resident.
What stands out about how Columbus is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,119 per resident in 2022: less than 67% of them
Columbus’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,119 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 Indiana cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,208, and the middle half spent $1,017–$1,462. Columbus spent less than 67% of them.
Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Indiana cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Columbus itself left out).
About $14 per resident a year, or $0.04 a day
Day-to-day services only.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is down 99% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Columbus 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: $1,119 · 2023: $1,713 · 2024: $14.
full-time in March 2025, up from 431 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,037 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.83% 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 Columbus’ 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 Columbus’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Columbus →
Who’s in charge in Columbus
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Columbus’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on columbus.in.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 109 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (51,268).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Bartholomew County School Corporation
Columbus’ K–12 school district, shared with Clay Township, Clifty Township, Columbus Township, Elizabethtown, German Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,354 per pupil, $7,337 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.
Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corporation · $12,847 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Columbus.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: columbus.in.gov ↗
- 2Indiana HouseColumbus is split between 2 districts
- 3Indiana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Columbus compares with the towns next door
Columbus spent $1,119 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus Township | $17 | $1,929 |
| German Township | $20 | $795 |
| Clay Township | $27 | $1,831 |
| Harrison Township | $130 | $2,987 |
| Columbus | $1,119 | $2,037 |
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 Columbus’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Columbus’ government
How much does Columbus spend per resident?
About $14 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,119 was less than 67% of 18 Indiana cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Columbus?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,037 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.83% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see columbus.in.gov.
Who runs Columbus’ government?
See columbus.in.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Columbus yet.
How many people work for Columbus?
470 full-time and 140 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.1M (about $37.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Columbus in the state legislature?
Columbus is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Indiana Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 41 (Greg Walker). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Columbus’ 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 →