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Spencer Public LibrarySpencer Public Library · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Town Hall · Spencer

How is Spencer run?

Spencer’s town government spent $3.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,280 per resident.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Indiana.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2023
$3.1M
year to December 31, 2023
Per resident, 2023
$1,280
2022 was an estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$2.6M
end of 2023, reported
Town staff, 2022
55
full-time · 10 part-time · March payroll $209,831
Typical tax bill
$1,151
0.71% of home value · IN 0.74%

What stands out about how Spencer is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Runs its own water & sewer21% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2023).A shared school districtShares Spencer-Owen Community Schools with 6+ other towns.Its own police and fire12 sworn officers and 4 full-time firefighters on the payroll.Lower tax billsThe typical bill is $1,151 a year: 0.71% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.
★ What stands out · Your share of the 2023 budget

About $1,280 per resident a year, or $3.51 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 21%.

Where the money comes from
Fees & charges 42%Property taxes 41%From the federal government 10%From the state 5%Interest, fines & other 1%Other taxes & licenses <1%Sales taxes <1%
Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $73,000. With these, the whole budget was $3.2 million.
About “Other”.50% of Spencer’s day-to-day spending ($1.6 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Spencer yet

The fair comparison uses 2022, the last year the Census Bureau counted every government (later years are a sample), and Spencer’s 2022 figures are a Census estimate (it reported none of its 2022 dollars). It reported 2023 only (2022 is an estimate), so there is no trend yet either. The next full count is 2027.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,151 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
Spencer$1,151
$1,151
typical bill a year
0.71%
effective rate
$162,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Spencer

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

See spencer.in.gov for Spencer’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Spencer yet.spencer.in.gov ↗
Agendas

Spencer’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on spencer.in.gov ↗.

Who works for Spencer

One full-time town employee for every 44 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 (2,426).

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

Roads & transportation12
Police12
Administration & buildings6 + 3 pt
Fire4 + 7 pt
Sewer & trash6
Other15
55
full-time
10
part-time
$209,831
payroll for March 2022
$2.5M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$44,900
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
12
sworn police officers
4
full-time firefighters
Not compared.Staff are compared with the same group as the budget, and Spencer’s 2022 budget was a Census estimate, so there is no group to compare with.

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

Spencer-Owen Community Schools

Spencer’s K–12 school district, shared with Clay Township, Franklin Township, Gosport, Harrison Township, Jefferson Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Spencer →
$13,902
per pupil · IN $13,688
2,215
students
$23 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,902 per pupil, $7,580 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 33%State 57%Federal 10%

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

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

Who represents Spencer

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Spencer.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Officials: spencer.in.gov ↗
  2. 2
    Indiana HouseState representatives
    Bob Heaton
  3. 3
    Indiana SenateState senator
    Rod Bray
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Mike Braun
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Mark B. Messmer
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana
    Todd YoungJim Banks

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

Reach Spencer’s government

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

The Handbook →
Official websitespencer.in.gov ↗

Questions about Spencer’s government

How much does Spencer spend per resident?

About $1,280 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau.

What is the property tax rate in Spencer?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,151 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 spencer.in.gov.

Who runs Spencer’s government?

See spencer.in.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Spencer yet.

How many people work for Spencer?

55 full-time and 10 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $209,831 (about $2.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Spencer in the state legislature?

State Senate District 37 (Rod Bray) and State House District 46 (Bob Heaton). The House district also covers 30 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Spencer’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 →