How is Wakarusa run?
Wakarusa’s town government spent $1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $542 per resident. Water and other utilities ($234,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Wakarusa is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $542 per resident a year, or $1.48 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Wakarusa collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.
$542 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Wakarusa’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($542 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. Wakarusa spent less than 54% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($304,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Wakarusa itself left out).
No trend yet
Wakarusa reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $1,492 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.72% 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 Wakarusa’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 Wakarusa’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Wakarusa →
Who’s in charge in Wakarusa
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 205 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 (1,848).
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.
Wa-Nee Community Schools
Wakarusa’s K–12 school district, shared with Harrison Township, Locke Township, Nappanee, Olive Township, Scott Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,007 per pupil, $7,452 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 Wakarusa.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 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 Wakarusa’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Wakarusa’s government
How much does Wakarusa spend per resident?
About $542 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 $542 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 Wakarusa?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,492 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.72% 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 Wakarusa’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Wakarusa yet.
How many people work for Wakarusa?
9 full-time and 11 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $55,762 (about $669,144 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Wakarusa in the state legislature?
State Senate District 12 (Blake Doriot) and State House District 21 (Tim Wesco). The House district also covers 11 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Wakarusa’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 →