Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Munster

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Stallbohm Barn-Kaske HouseStallbohm Barn-Kaske House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Town Hall · Munster

How is Munster run?

Munster’s town government spent $30.6 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,292 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.4 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Tomorrow

General election in Indiana.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$30.6M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,292
In 2022: $1,179, less than 51% of 35 similar cities
Long-term debt
$51.5M
end of 2024, reported
Town staff, 2025
123
full-time · 84 part-time · March payroll $857,107
Typical tax bill
$3,670
1.10% of home value · IN 0.74%

What stands out about how Munster is run

Read from the town’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer18% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).Its own police and fire42 sworn officers and 1 full-time firefighters on the payroll.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Munster’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,292 per resident a year, or $3.54 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 31%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 36%Interest, fines & other 24%Utility sales 12%Fees & charges 11%Other taxes & licenses 5%From the state 4%From other local governments 4%From the federal government 3%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $11 million; interest on debt $1.1 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $46.1 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,179 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Munster’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,179 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 $1,182, and the middle half spent $976–$1,616. Munster spent less than 51% of them.

Middle half of the group, $976–$1,616Median $1,182Munster

Includes sewer and trash ($2.9 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; Munster itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 15% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$26.5 million
2023$29.1 million
2024$30.6 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,179 · 2023: $1,224 · 2024: $1,292. Per resident it went from $1,179 to $1,292 (up 10%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 22,483 to 23,664.

Town staff
123

full-time in March 2025, up from 110 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 $3,670 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.10% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Bloom Township$5,005
Lansing$4,950
Thornton Township$4,499
Munster$3,670
Dyer$3,163
St. John Township$2,938
Highland$2,047
North Township$1,895
Hammond$1,630
Indiana$1,614
$3,670
typical bill a year
1.10%
effective rate
$334,300
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Munster

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

See munster.org for Munster’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Munster yet.munster.org ↗
Who works for Munster

One full-time town employee for every 192 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 (23,664).

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

Police48
Administration & buildings11 + 25 pt
Fire2 + 41 pt
Parks & libraries13 + 17 pt
Roads & transportation16 + 1 pt
Water & other utilities15
Sewer & trash2
Other16
123
full-time
84
part-time
$857,107
payroll for March 2025
$10.3M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$77,800
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
42
sworn police officers
1
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Munster had 4.9 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 8.7: Munster had fewer than 76% 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

Munster School Town

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

Schools in Munster →
$12,441
per pupil · IN $13,688
4,118
students
$89.9 million
long-term debt

Of the $12,441 per pupil, $6,830 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 44%State 51%Federal 5%

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

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

Who represents Munster

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Munster.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Officials: munster.org ↗
  2. 2
    Indiana HouseState representatives
    Mike Andrade
  3. 3
    Indiana SenateState senator
    Lonnie Randolph
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Mike Braun
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Frank J. Mrvan
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana
    Todd YoungJim Banks

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

Next door

How Munster compares with the towns next door

Munster spent $1,179 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $15 to $2,248. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Hammond: $2,248 per resident (2022)North Township: $23 per resident (2022)Highland: no reported 2022 figuresSt. John Township: $15 per resident (2022)Dyer: $1,116 per resident (2022)HammondNorth TownshipHighlandSt. John TownshipDyerMunster
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
St. John Township$15$2,938
North Township$23$1,895
Dyer$1,116$3,163
Hammond$2,248$1,630
Highlandestimate$2,047
Munster$1,179$3,670

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 Munster’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websitemunster.org ↗

Questions about Munster’s government

How much does Munster spend per resident?

About $1,292 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 $1,179 was less than 51% of 35 Indiana cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Munster?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,670 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.10% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see munster.org.

Who runs Munster’s government?

See munster.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Munster yet.

How many people work for Munster?

123 full-time and 84 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $857,107 (about $10.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Munster in the state legislature?

State Senate District 2 (Lonnie Randolph) and State House District 12 (Mike Andrade). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Munster?

The next posted meeting is Plan Commission on Tuesday, November 10, at 7:00 pm in 1005 Ridge Road, from the town’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Munster’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 →