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Ibach HouseIbach House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Town Hall · Highland

How is Highland run?

Highland’s town government spent $27.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,162 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.9 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Indiana.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$27.5M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,162
2022 was an estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$26.5M
end of 2024, reported
Town staff, 2025
104
full-time · 88 part-time · March payroll $664,586 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$2,047
0.88% of home value · IN 0.74%

What stands out about how Highland is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,162 per resident a year, or $3.18 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 28%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 41%Property taxes 24%Utility sales 16%From the state 14%Interest, fines & other 2%Other taxes & licenses 2%From other local governments 1%Sales taxes 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $387,000; interest on debt $441,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $33.2 million.
Compared with similar places

No comparison for Highland yet

The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample). Highland’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars), so it has no like-for-like peer figure. It reported 2024; the next full count is 2027.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is down 7% since 2023

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2023$29.6 million
2024$27.5 million

Per resident: 2023: $1,250 · 2024: $1,162.

Town staff
104

full-time in March 2025, down from 110 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.

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 $2,047 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.88% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Munster$3,670
Highland$2,047
North Township$1,895
Griffith$1,796
Hammond$1,630
Indiana$1,614
Calumet Township$1,096
Gary$915
$2,047
typical bill a year
0.88%
effective rate
$233,300
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Highland

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

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

Highland’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on highland.in.gov ↗.

Who works for Highland

One full-time town employee for every 227 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (23,622).

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

Police43 + 12 pt
Parks & libraries16 + 41 pt
Administration & buildings9 + 32 pt
Roads & transportation10
Water & other utilities9
Sewer & trash7
Housing & development1
Fire1
Other8 + 3 pt
104
full-time
88
part-time
$664,586
payroll for March 2025
$8.0M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$70,100
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
36
sworn police officers
Estimates.Highland didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

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

Highland School Town

Highland’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Highland →
$11,036
per pupil · IN $13,688
3,069
students
$29.1 million
long-term debt

Of the $11,036 per pupil, $5,715 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 33%State 62%Federal 6%

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

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

Who represents Highland

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Highland.

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.

Next door

How Highland compares with the towns next door

Highland’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate, so it isn’t placed among them. Neighbors that reported 2022 spent $23 to $2,248 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
North Township$23$1,895
Calumet Township$53$1,096
Griffith$962$1,796
Munster$1,179$3,670
Hammond$2,248$1,630
Garyestimate$915
Highlandestimate$2,047

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 Highland’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Highland’s government

How much does Highland spend per resident?

About $1,162 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau.

What is the property tax rate in Highland?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,047 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.88% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see highland.in.gov.

Who runs Highland’s government?

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

How many people work for Highland?

104 full-time and 88 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $664,586 (about $8.0M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Highland in the state legislature?

Highland is split among 2 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 Highland’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 →