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Blankenship-Hodges-Brown HouseBlankenship-Hodges-Brown House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Town Hall · Paragon

How is Paragon run?

Paragon’s town government spent $357,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $528 per resident. Water and other utilities ($43,000) are counted separately.

Election Day

Today

General election in Indiana.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$357,000
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$528
In 2022: $528, less than 54% of 363 similar cities
Long-term debt
$708,000
end of 2022, reported
Town staff, 2022
4
full-time · 0 part-time · March payroll $11,436
Typical tax bill
$328
0.32% of home value · IN 0.74%

What stands out about how Paragon is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $528 per resident a year, or $1.45 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 58%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 56%Utility sales 17%Property taxes 13%From the state 12%From other local governments 2%Interest, fines & other <1%
Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $16,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $416,000.
Compared with similar places

$528 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Paragon’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($528 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. Paragon spent less than 54% of them.

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

Includes sewer and trash ($74,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

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; Paragon itself left out).

Over the years

No trend yet

Paragon reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $328 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.32% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Indiana$1,614
Paragon$328
$328
typical bill a year
0.32%
effective rate
$104,100
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Paragon

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

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

One full-time town employee for every 169 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (676).

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

Administration & buildings1
Roads & transportation1
Police1
Water & other utilities1
4
full-time
0
part-time
$11,436
payroll for March 2022
$137,232
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$34,300
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
1
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Paragon had 5.9 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: Paragon had more than 67% 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

Martinsville Schools Metropolitan School District

Paragon’s K–12 school district, shared with Baker Township, Bethany, Clay Township, Green Township, Jefferson Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Paragon →
$13,296
per pupil · IN $13,688
4,081
students
$17.6 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,296 per pupil, $6,868 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 29%State 61%Federal 10%

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

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

Who represents Paragon

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Paragon.

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 Paragon’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Paragon’s government

How much does Paragon spend per resident?

About $528 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 $528 was less than 54% of 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Paragon?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $328 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.32% 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 Paragon’s government?

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

How many people work for Paragon?

4 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $11,436 (about $137,232 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Paragon in the state legislature?

State Senate District 37 (Rod Bray) and State House District 60 (Peggy Mayfield). The House district also covers 22 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Paragon’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 →