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Town Hall · Boston

How Boston is run

Boston spent $122,000 in the year to December 31, 2022, about $146 per resident.

Photo: Chris Flook
Town budget
$122,000
spent, year to December 31, 2022
Per resident
$146
Above typical Indiana towns ($29)
Long-term debt
$112,000
$134 per resident
Town staff
0
full-time · 6 part-time
Typical tax bill
$1,477
a year · IN $1,614

What stands out about how Boston is run

Read from the town’s budget, meetings and records. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Your share of the budget

About $146 per resident a year, or $0.40 a day

The biggest line: fire, at 65% of spending.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 90%From the state 9%Interest, fines & other 1%
The school district

Richmond Community School Corporation

Boston’s K–12 school district, shared with Boston, Spring Grove, Wayne, Richmond. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Boston →
$13,508
per pupil · IN $13,688
4,481
students
$8.4 million
long-term debt

Of the $13,508 per pupil, $7,333 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 16%State 62%Federal 22%

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

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

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Boston

Local officials aren’t in the public records we use for Boston yet. Neighbors can add them.

Who works for Boston

0 full-time staff

On the payroll in March 2022 (a Census Bureau estimate).

By department full-time, plus part-time

Administration & buildings0 + 6 pt
0
full-time
6
part-time

Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it’s approximate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,477 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.64% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Harrison$3,101
Abington$1,780
Indiana$1,614
Boston$1,477
Center$1,387
Wayne$991
$1,477
typical bill a year
0.64%
effective rate
$230,700
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Boston’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.

Next door

How Boston’s budget compares

Boston ranks 3rd lowest of 3 for spending per resident. Towns that run their own schools spend more. Tap a town to see its Town Hall.

Spends the leastSpends the mostNo figures
TownSpent per residentDebt per residentTax bill
Wayne——$991
Center$22—$1,387
Abington$70—$1,780
Boston$146$134$1,477
Harrison——$3,101

The town government’s own spending in its newest year (often a Census Bureau estimate). — = no figures.

Who represents Boston

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Boston.

Politics & elections →
  1. 1
    Your townTown government
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  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 Boston’s government

Numbers and hours come from neighbors and the town’s own site (the Handbook). A new one goes live once two neighbors confirm it.

The Handbook →

Questions about how Boston is run?

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Does Boston get good value for its tax dollars?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. School district: Census school finance survey. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates. Representatives: Open States, the Census and congress-legislators.

Post to Boston

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Add to the handbook

Sign in to add to Boston’s handbook. Every fact you add earns karma once neighbors confirm it.