Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Rensselaer run?
Rensselaer’s city government spent $17.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $3,132 per resident. Water and other utilities ($17.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Rensselaer is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $3,132 per resident a year, or $8.58 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 62%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,070 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Rensselaer’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,070 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,139, and the middle half spent $754–$1,490. Rensselaer spent less than 57% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.8 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 →
Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Rensselaer itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 187% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Rensselaer 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: $1,070 · 2023: $1,015 · 2024: $3,132. Per resident it went from $1,070 to $3,132 (up 193%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 5,780 to 5,677.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $698 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.45% 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 Rensselaer’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 Rensselaer’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Rensselaer →
Who’s in charge in Rensselaer
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Rensselaer’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofrensselaerin.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 70 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 (5,677).
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.
Rensselaer Central School Corporation
Rensselaer’s K–12 school district, shared with Barkley Township, Hanging Grove Township, Jordan Township, Marion Township, Milroy Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $16,803 per pupil, $7,920 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.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Rensselaer.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofrensselaerin.com ↗
- 2Indiana HouseState representatives
- 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.
Reach Rensselaer’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Rensselaer’s government
How much does Rensselaer spend per resident?
About $3,132 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 $1,070 was less than 57% of 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Rensselaer?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $698 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.45% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofrensselaerin.com.
Who runs Rensselaer’s government?
See cityofrensselaerin.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Rensselaer yet.
How many people work for Rensselaer?
81 full-time and 0 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $382,372 (about $4.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Rensselaer in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Rick Niemeyer) and State House District 16 (Kendell Culp). The House district also covers 48 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Rensselaer’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 →