Waterloo Community Mausoleum · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainWaterloo spent more per resident in 2022 than 83% of similar cities
Waterloo’s town government spent $3.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, about $1,825 per resident. Water and other utilities ($153,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Waterloo is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$1,241 per resident in 2022: more than 83% of them
Waterloo’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,241 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. Waterloo spent more than 83% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($424,000), 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; Waterloo itself left out).
About $1,825 per resident a year, or $5.00 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 12%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 37% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Waterloo 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: $1,241 · 2023: $1,825. Per resident it went from $1,241 to $1,825 (up 47%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 2,266 to 2,114.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $731 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.70% 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 Waterloo’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 Waterloo’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Waterloo →
Who’s in charge in Waterloo
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Waterloo’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on mywaterlooindiana.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 117 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 (2,114).
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.
DeKalb County Central United School District
Waterloo’s K–12 school district, shared with Corunna, Fairfield Township, Grant Township, Jackson Township, Richland Township and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,447 per pupil, $6,353 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 Waterloo.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: mywaterlooindiana.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 Waterloo’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Waterloo’s government
How much does Waterloo spend per resident?
About $1,825 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,241 was more than 83% of 363 Indiana cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Waterloo?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $731 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.70% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see mywaterlooindiana.com.
Who runs Waterloo’s government?
See mywaterlooindiana.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Waterloo yet.
How many people work for Waterloo?
18 full-time and 4 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $92,726 (about $1.1M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Waterloo in the state legislature?
State Senate District 14 (Tyler Johnson) and State House District 52 (Ben Smaltz). The House district also covers 32 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Waterloo’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 →