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Chief Jean-Baptiste de Richardville HouseChief Jean-Baptiste de Richardville House · Photo: Nancy.mccammon-hansen · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Fort Wayne

How is Fort Wayne run?

Fort Wayne’s city government spent $298.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,113 per resident. Water and other utilities ($19 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Indiana.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$298.1M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,113
In 2022: $878, more than 56% of 525 similar cities
Long-term debt
$641.9M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2025
2,142
full-time · 200 part-time · March payroll $15.7M
Typical tax bill
$1,578
0.84% of home value · IN 0.74%

What stands out about how Fort Wayne is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted onlineMeetings, agendas and minutes from the city’s own portal.A shared school districtShares Fort Wayne Community Schools with 4 other towns.Split between districts6 State House districts cover Fort Wayne; your street decides yours.Its own police and fire493 sworn officers and 358 full-time firefighters on the payroll.
★ What stands out · Meetings

Recent meetings

From Fort Wayne’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

No upcoming meetings are posted yet.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,113 per resident a year, or $3.05 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 29%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 33%Income taxes 19%Utility sales 13%From the federal government 11%From the state 9%Fees & charges 6%Interest, fines & other 4%Other taxes & licenses 2%From other local governments 2%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $83.5 million; interest on debt $31 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $433.4 million.
Compared with similar places

$878 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Fort Wayne’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($878 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 525 Indiana cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $805, and the middle half spent $405–$1,213. Fort Wayne spent more than 56% of them.

Middle half of the group, $405–$1,213Median $805Fort Wayne

Includes sewer and trash ($11.5 million), 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
525

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

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 25% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Fort Wayne reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$239.1 million
2023$262.6 million
2024$298.1 million

Per resident: 2022: $878 · 2023: $987 · 2024: $1,113.

City staff
2,142

full-time in March 2025, up from 2,017 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,578 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.84% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Perry Township$2,361
Milan Township$2,195
Huntertown$2,052
Eel River Township$1,930
St. Joseph Township$1,736
Indiana$1,614
Washington Township$1,582
Fort Wayne$1,578
New Haven$1,307
$1,578
typical bill a year
0.84%
effective rate
$188,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Fort Wayne’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 Fort Wayne’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Fort Wayne →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Fort Wayne

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

See cityoffortwayne.org for Fort Wayne’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Fort Wayne yet.cityoffortwayne.org ↗
Who works for Fort Wayne

One full-time city employee for every 125 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 (267,927).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police672 + 36 pt
Fire390
Roads & transportation318 + 6 pt
Sewer & trash187 + 30 pt
Parks & libraries141 + 111 pt
Water & other utilities112 + 1 pt
Administration & buildings93 + 3 pt
Health & welfare57 + 6 pt
Housing & development53
Courts, inspections & corrections3
Other116 + 7 pt
2,142
full-time
200
part-time
$15.7M
payroll for March 2025
$188.1M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$86,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
493
sworn police officers
358
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Fort Wayne had 7.4 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 330 of the 525 Indiana cities that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 5.6: Fort Wayne had more than 65% 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

Fort Wayne Community Schools

Fort Wayne’s K–12 school district, shared with Pleasant Township, St. Joseph Township, Washington Township, Wayne Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Fort Wayne →
$14,349
per pupil · IN $13,688
28,506
students
$219.9 million
long-term debt

Of the $14,349 per pupil, $7,885 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 25%State 55%Federal 20%

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

Also serving Fort Wayne

East Allen County Schools · $12,563 per pupil

Southwest Allen County Metropolitan School District · $12,104 per pupil

Northwest Allen County Schools · $10,818 per pupil

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

Who represents Fort Wayne

From town hall to Washington

Fort Wayne sends 6 representatives to the Indiana House alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityoffortwayne.org ↗
  2. 2
    Indiana HouseFort Wayne is split between 6 districts
    Phil GiaQuintaKyle MillerMartin CarbaughBob MorrisChris JudyDave Heine
  3. 3
    Indiana SenateState senator
    Justin BuschLiz BrownTyler JohnsonTravis Holdman
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Mike Braun
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Marlin A. Stutzman
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana
    Todd YoungJim Banks
Find your state legislators by address ↗

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

Next door

How Fort Wayne compares with the towns next door

Fort Wayne spent $878 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.

New Haven: $1,153 per resident (2022)Huntertown: $584 per resident (2022)Perry Township: $57 per resident (2022)Eel River Township: no reported 2022 figuresSt. Joseph Township: $8 per resident (2022)Washington Township: $8 per resident (2022)Milan Township: $24 per resident (2022)New HavenHuntertownPerry TownshipEel River TownshipSt. Joseph TownshipWashington TownshipMilan TownshipFort Wayne
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
St. Joseph Township$8$1,736
Washington Township$8$1,582
Milan Township$24$2,195
Perry Township$57$2,361
Huntertown$584$2,052
New Haven$1,153$1,307
Eel River Townshipestimate$1,930
Fort Wayne$878$1,578

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 Fort Wayne’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websitecityoffortwayne.org ↗

Questions about Fort Wayne’s government

How much does Fort Wayne spend per resident?

About $1,113 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 $878 was more than 56% of 525 Indiana cities that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Fort Wayne?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,578 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.84% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityoffortwayne.org.

Who runs Fort Wayne’s government?

See cityoffortwayne.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Fort Wayne yet.

How many people work for Fort Wayne?

2,142 full-time and 200 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $15.7M (about $188.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Fort Wayne in the state legislature?

Fort Wayne is split among 6 State House districts and 4 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Indiana Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Fort Wayne’s 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 →