Photo: Missvain · CC BY 4.0Lapel spent less per resident in 2022 than 98% of similar cities
Lapel’s town government spent $3.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,518 per resident. Water and other utilities ($494,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Lapel is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$13 per resident in 2022: less than 98% of them
Lapel’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($13 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 $300–$967. Lapel spent less than 98% of 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; Lapel itself left out).
About $1,518 per resident a year, or $4.16 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 22%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 11571% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Lapel 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: $13 · 2024: $1,518. Per resident it went from $13 to $1,518 (up 11577%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,412 to 2,383.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,406 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.64% 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 Lapel’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 Lapel’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Lapel →
Who’s in charge in Lapel
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Lapel’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on lapelindiana.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 132 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (2,383).
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.
Frankton-Lapel Community Schools
Lapel’s K–12 school district, shared with Frankton, Jackson Township, Stony Creek Township, Lafayette Township, Pipe Creek Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $10,052 per pupil, $5,714 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.
South Madison Community School Corporation · $11,360 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Lapel.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: lapelindiana.org ↗
- 2Indiana HouseLapel is split between 2 districts
- 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.
How Lapel compares with the towns next door
Lapel spent $13 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne Township | $40 | $2,318 |
| Stony Creek Township | $115 | $1,404 |
| Pendleton | $1,162 | $2,042 |
| Lapel | $13 | $1,406 |
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 Lapel’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Lapel’s government
How much does Lapel spend per resident?
About $1,518 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 $13 was less than 98% of 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Lapel?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,406 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.64% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see lapelindiana.org.
Who runs Lapel’s government?
See lapelindiana.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Lapel yet.
How many people work for Lapel?
18 full-time and 1 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $57,346 (about $688,152 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Lapel in the state legislature?
Lapel is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Indiana Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 25 (Mike Gaskill). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Lapel’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 →