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Town Hall · Sweetser

Sweetser spent more per resident in 2022 than 78% of similar cities

Sweetser’s town government spent $786,000 on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $742 per resident.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in Indiana.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$786,000
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$742
In 2022: $1,046, more than 78% of 363 similar cities
Long-term debt
$2.0M
end of 2024, reported
Town staff, 2022
5
full-time · 11 part-time · March payroll $27,716
Typical tax bill
$1,049
0.68% of home value · IN 0.74%

What stands out about how Sweetser is run

Read from the town’s budget and official records.

Compared with similar places

$1,046 per resident in 2022: more than 78% of them

Sweetser’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,046 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–$960. Sweetser spent more than 78% of them.

Middle half of the group, $292–$960Median $586Sweetser

Includes sewer and trash ($682,000), 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; Sweetser itself left out).

Your share of the 2024 budget

About $742 per resident a year, or $2.03 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 49%.

Where the money comes from
From the state 43%Fees & charges 35%Property taxes 12%Interest, fines & other 5%From other local governments 4%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $55,000; interest on debt $87,000. With these, the whole budget was $928,000.
Over the years

Day-to-day spending is down 31% since 2022

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

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$1.1 million
2024$786,000

Per resident: 2022: $1,046 · 2024: $742.

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 $1,049 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.68% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Indiana$1,614
Sweetser$1,049
$1,049
typical bill a year
0.68%
effective rate
$153,400
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Sweetser

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

See sweetserin.com for Sweetser’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Sweetser yet.sweetserin.com ↗
Agendas

Sweetser’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on sweetserin.com ↗.

Who works for Sweetser

One full-time town employee for every 212 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 (1,059).

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

Administration & buildings0 + 7 pt
Police1 + 4 pt
Roads & transportation2
Sewer & trash2
5
full-time
11
part-time
$27,716
payroll for March 2022
$332,592
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$41,700
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
1
sworn police officers
Compared, 2022.Sweetser had 4.6 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: Sweetser had more than 52% 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

Oak Hill United School Corporation

Sweetser’s K–12 school district, shared with Amboy, Converse, Jackson Township, Richland Township, Sims Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Sweetser →
$12,792
per pupil · IN $13,688
1,614
students
$16.8 million
long-term debt

Of the $12,792 per pupil, $6,937 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 28%State 53%Federal 18%

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

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

Who represents Sweetser

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Sweetser.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
  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 Sweetser’s government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Sweetser’s government

How much does Sweetser spend per resident?

About $742 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 $1,046 was more than 78% of 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Sweetser?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,049 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.68% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see sweetserin.com.

Who runs Sweetser’s government?

See sweetserin.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sweetser yet.

How many people work for Sweetser?

5 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $27,716 (about $332,592 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Sweetser in the state legislature?

State Senate District 17 (Nick McKinley) and State House District 31 (Lori Goss-Reaves). The House district also covers 26 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Sweetser’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 →