Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Hope run?
Hope’s town government spent $1.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $592 per resident. Water and other utilities ($355,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Hope is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $592 per resident a year, or $1.62 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 39%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$592 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Hope’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($592 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–$967. Hope spent more than 50% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($295,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Hope itself left out).
No trend yet
Hope reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $997 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.67% 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 Hope’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Hope’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hope →
Who’s in charge in Hope
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 250 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 2022 finance file (2,248).
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.
Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corporation
Hope’s K–12 school district, shared with Clifford, Flat Rock Township, Hartsville, Haw Creek Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,847 per pupil, $6,643 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Hope.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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.
Reach Hope’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Hope’s government
How much does Hope spend per resident?
About $592 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 $592 was more than 50% of 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Hope?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $997 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.67% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Hope’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hope yet.
How many people work for Hope?
9 full-time and 21 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $39,341 (about $472,092 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Hope in the state legislature?
State Senate District 41 (Greg Walker) and State House District 73 (Jenny Meltzer). The House district also covers 25 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Hope’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 →