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Laporte County Indiana courthouse 2Photo: MrHarman · CC BY 3.0
Town Hall · La Porte

How is La Porte run?

La Porte’s city government spent $49 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $2,208 per resident. Water and other utilities ($4.4 million) and the airport ($875,000) are counted separately.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$49.0M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$2,208
In 2022: $1,202, more than 54% of 35 similar cities
Long-term debt
$44.1M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2025
197
full-time · 37 part-time · March payroll $1.1M
Typical tax bill
$1,319
0.84% of home value · IN 0.74%

What stands out about how La Porte is run

Read from the city’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2024 budget

About $2,208 per resident a year, or $6.05 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 16%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 29%Property taxes 28%From the state 18%Utility sales 15%Interest, fines & other 8%From other local governments 1%Other taxes & licenses 1%From the federal government <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $222,000; interest on debt $1.1 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $55.6 million.
About “Other”.46% of La Porte’s day-to-day spending ($22.7 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places

$1,202 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

La Porte’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,202 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 35 Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,179, and the middle half spent $976–$1,616. La Porte spent more than 54% of them.

Middle half of the group, $976–$1,616Median $1,179La Porte

Includes sewer and trash ($4.3 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
35

Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; La Porte itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 90% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$25.8 million
2023$40.5 million
2024$49 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,202 · 2023: $1,808 · 2024: $2,208. Per resident it went from $1,202 to $2,208 (up 84%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 21,449 to 22,198.

City staff
197

full-time in March 2025, up from 192 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 $1,319 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

Indiana$1,614
La Porte$1,319
$1,319
typical bill a year
0.84%
effective rate
$157,500
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in La Porte

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

See cityoflaporte.com for La Porte’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for La Porte yet.cityoflaporte.com ↗
Agendas

La Porte’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityoflaporte.com ↗.

Who works for La Porte

One full-time city employee for every 113 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 (22,198).

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

Fire46
Police46
Parks & libraries24 + 14 pt
Roads & transportation20 + 20 pt
Sewer & trash18 + 1 pt
Water & other utilities18
Administration & buildings9 + 2 pt
Housing & development3
Health & welfare1
Other12
197
full-time
37
part-time
$1.1M
payroll for March 2025
$13.6M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$66,400
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
42
sworn police officers
45
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.La Porte had 9.0 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 25 of the 35 Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 7.4: La Porte had more than 60% 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

La Porte Community School Corporation

La Porte’s K–12 school district, shared with Center Township, Kingsbury, Kingsford Heights, Lincoln Township, Pleasant Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in La Porte →
$13,506
per pupil · IN $13,688
6,144
students
$74.3 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,506 per pupil, $7,642 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 30%State 57%Federal 13%

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

Also serving La Porte

New Prairie United School Corporation · $11,910 per pupil

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

Who represents La Porte

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for La Porte.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    Indiana HouseState representatives
  3. 3
    Indiana SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseSplit between districts
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana

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

Reach La Porte’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about La Porte’s government

How much does La Porte spend per resident?

About $2,208 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 $1,202 was more than 54% of 35 Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in La Porte?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,319 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 cityoflaporte.com.

Who runs La Porte’s government?

See cityoflaporte.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for La Porte yet.

How many people work for La Porte?

197 full-time and 37 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.1M (about $13.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents La Porte in the state legislature?

State Senate District 8 (Mike Bohacek) and State House District 20 (Jim Pressel). The House district also covers 26 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about La Porte’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 →