Town Hall · Columbus

Columbus, IN town hall & government

Columbus spent $5.5 million in the year to December 31, 2024, about $107 per resident.

Where the money goes, where it comes from, property taxes, and how to reach Columbus's government.

Town budget

Where Columbus's money goes

Spent
$5.5 million
fiscal year to December 31, 2024
Per resident
$107
typical Indiana cities: $2,259
Long-term debt
$119.8 million
$2,336 per resident
Interest on debt
$4.8 million87%
Other
$707,00013%

Where the money comes from

  • Property taxes 35%
  • Interest, fines & other 17%
  • Income taxes 17%
  • Fees & charges 14%
  • From the state 8%
  • Utility sales 4%
  • From the federal government 2%
  • Other taxes & licenses 2%
  • From other local governments 1%
  • Sales taxes <1%
Town workforce

Who works for Columbus

Full-time staff
470
140 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$76,100
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
86
and 87 full-time firefighters
Police
95 full-time26 part
Parks & libraries
67 full-time73 part
Fire
97 full-time
Sewer & trash
66 full-time2 part
Roads & transportation
38 full-time18 part
Water & other utilities
43 full-time
Administration & buildings
31 full-time10 part
Health & welfare
8 full-time10 part
Housing & development
7 full-time1 part
Courts, inspections & corrections
1 full-time
Other
17 full-time

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2025. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate.

Schools · school year 2023–24

Bartholomew County School Corporation

Columbus's K–12 school district, shared with Clay, Clifty, Columbus, Elizabethtown, German and Harrison. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$13,354
Indiana: $13,688
Students
11,654
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$82 million
at year end

Where the district's money comes from Indiana districts overall: 33% local, 56% state, 11% federal

  • Local 37%
  • State 52%
  • Federal 11%

Of the $13,354 per pupil, $7,337 goes to classroom instruction (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to support services such as buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren't in the per-pupil figure.

Also serving Columbus: Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corporation ($12,847 per pupil).

Property tax

What homeowners in Columbus pay

Typical tax bill
$2,037
a year · Indiana typical $1,614
Effective rate
0.83%
of home value · Indiana 0.74%
Typical home value
$244,200
owner-occupied

The median yearly bill homeowners report, covering every local property tax on the home (town, schools, county). The effective rate is that bill divided by the median home value, so it's a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Local

Contact Columbus's government

🏛️ Official websitecolumbus.in.gov ↗

Town hall & decisions in Columbus →

Beyond town hall

Who represents Columbus

Columbus is represented in Congress by Senators Todd Young and Jim Banks and Representatives Jefferson Shreve and Erin Houchin. Mike Braun is governor.

All of Columbus's representatives, with contacts →

Budget: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Finance (every city and town government's revenue, spending and debt, grouped into plain categories). Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

The coffee’s on

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01