Photo: Henry the heron at English Wikipedia · Public domainHow is Tell City run?
Tell City’s city government spent $11.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,518 per resident. Water and other utilities ($26.5 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Tell City is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,518 per resident a year, or $4.16 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 35%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$937 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Tell City’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($937 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. Tell City spent less than 64% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.2 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; Tell City itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 68% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Tell City 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: $937 · 2023: $1,759 · 2024: $1,518. Per resident it went from $937 to $1,518 (up 62%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 7,179 to 7,447.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,140 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.82% 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 Tell City’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 Tell City’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Tell City →
Who’s in charge in Tell City
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Tell City’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on tellcityindiana.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 93 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (7,447).
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.
Tell City-Troy Township School Corporation
Tell City’s K–12 school district, shared with Troy, Troy Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,938 per pupil, $6,960 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.
How Tell City voted in 2024
Official results for Tell City’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican58.9%1,995 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.3%1,329 votesOthers: 1.8% (61 votes).
Most votes in Tell City: Donald J Trump
Indiana: Trump 58.6%, Harris 39.6%
of Tell City’s 5,906 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Indiana: 58%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Tell City: Jim Banks
Indiana: Banks 58.6%, McCray 38.8%
Most votes in Tell City: Mike Braun
President, 2024: Tell City, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tell City | 58.9% | 39.3% | 1.8% | 3,385 |
| Indiana | 58.6% | 39.6% | 1.8% | 2,936,677 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Tell City.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: tellcityindiana.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.
How Tell City compares with the towns next door
Tell City spent $937 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Troy Township | $6 | $1,122 |
| Tell City | $937 | $1,140 |
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 Tell City’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Tell City’s government
How much does Tell City spend per resident?
About $1,518 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 $937 was less than 64% of 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Tell City?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,140 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.82% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see tellcityindiana.com.
Who runs Tell City’s government?
See tellcityindiana.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Tell City yet.
How did Tell City vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 58.9%, Kamala D Harris 39.3% (3,385 votes, official results). . Indiana: Trump 58.6%, Harris 39.6%.
How many people work for Tell City?
80 full-time and 70 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $422,928 (about $5.1M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Tell City in the state legislature?
State Senate District 48 (Daryl Schmitt) and State House District 74 (Steve Bartels). The House district also covers 51 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Tell City’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 →