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Liberty Courthouse Square Historic DistrictLiberty Courthouse Square Historic District · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Town Hall · Liberty

Liberty spent more per resident in 2022 than 65% of similar cities

Liberty’s town government spent $1.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $707 per resident. Water and other utilities ($423,000) are counted separately.

Day-to-day spending, 2023
$1.4M
year to December 31, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$707
In 2022: $834, more than 65% of 363 similar cities
Long-term debt
$2.2M
end of 2023, reported
Town staff, 2022
19
full-time · 8 part-time · March payroll $43,773
Typical tax bill
$871
0.71% of home value · IN 0.74%

What stands out about how Liberty is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$834 per resident in 2022: more than 65% of them

Liberty’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($834 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. Liberty spent more than 65% of them.

Middle half of the group, $292–$967Median $586Liberty

Includes sewer and trash ($1.1 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
363

Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Liberty itself left out).

Your share of the 2023 budget

About $707 per resident a year, or $1.94 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 38%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 33%Property taxes 22%Utility sales 12%Income taxes 11%From other local governments 8%From the state 7%Interest, fines & other 3%Sales taxes 2%Other taxes & licenses 1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $294,000; interest on debt $71,000; payments to other governments $148,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $2.3 million.
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is down 16% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$1.7 million
2023$1.4 million

Per resident: 2022: $834 · 2023: $707.

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 $871 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.71% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Indiana$1,614
Liberty$871
$871
typical bill a year
0.71%
effective rate
$122,000
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Liberty

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

Check Liberty’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Liberty yet.
Who works for Liberty

One full-time town employee for every 105 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (1,995).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Administration & buildings3 + 5 pt
Police4 + 3 pt
Roads & transportation4
Sewer & trash4
Water & other utilities4
19
full-time
8
part-time
$43,773
payroll for March 2022
$525,276
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$25,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
4
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Liberty had 9.5 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 221 of the 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 4.3: Liberty had more than 86% 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

Union County-College Corner Joint School District

Liberty’s K–12 school district, shared with Bath Township, Brownsville Township, Center Township, Harmony Township, Harrison Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Liberty →
$13,088
per pupil · IN $13,688
1,289
students
$5.7 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,088 per pupil, $6,062 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 34%State 51%Federal 15%

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

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

Who represents Liberty

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Liberty.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  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.

Reach Liberty’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Liberty’s government

How much does Liberty spend per resident?

About $707 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $834 was more than 65% of 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Liberty?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $871 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.71% 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 Liberty’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Liberty yet.

How many people work for Liberty?

19 full-time and 8 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $43,773 (about $525,276 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Liberty in the state legislature?

State Senate District 27 (Jeff Raatz) and State House District 55 (Lindsay Patterson). The House district also covers 45 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Liberty’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 →