Town Hall · South Bend

South Bend, IN town hall & government

South Bend spent $344.6 million in the year to December 31, 2024, about $3,342 per resident.

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

Local leadership

Who runs South Bend

James MuellerMayorSince 2020 Wikidata ↗ Out of date? Sign in to tell us

From public records (Open States and Wikidata), which can lag behind an election. If a name is out of date, tell us: when two neighbors agree, it's hidden until the records catch up.

Town budget

Where South Bend's money goes

Spent
$344.6 million
fiscal year to December 31, 2024
Per resident
$3,342
typical Indiana cities: $2,259
Long-term debt
$229.7 million
$2,228 per resident
Police
$57.8 million17%
Roads & transportation
$41.6 million12%
Fire
$38.7 million11%
Parks & libraries
$28.8 million8%
Administration & buildings
$27.7 million8%
Sewer & trash
$22.9 million7%
Water & other utilities
$17.2 million5%
Housing & development
$14.8 million4%
Interest on debt
$7.2 million2%
Courts, inspections & corrections
$5.8 million2%
Health & welfare
$383,000<1%
Other
$81.7 million24%

Where the money comes from

  • Fees & charges 34%
  • Property taxes 29%
  • From the state 21%
  • Utility sales 8%
  • Interest, fines & other 5%
  • From the federal government 1%
  • From other local governments 1%
  • Sales taxes 1%
  • Other taxes & licenses <1%
Town workforce · Census estimate

Who works for South Bend

Full-time staff
1,268
268 part-time too
Average full-time pay
$80,800
a year, before benefits
Sworn police officers
240
and 272 full-time firefighters
Police
292 full-time33 part
Fire
280 full-time1 part
Parks & libraries
118 full-time183 part
Roads & transportation
181 full-time17 part
Sewer & trash
116 full-time7 part
Administration & buildings
86 full-time2 part
Water & other utilities
67 full-time3 part
Housing & development
31 full-time2 part
Health & welfare
10 full-time18 part
Courts, inspections & corrections
11 full-time
Other
76 full-time2 part

Staff on the town's payroll in March 2025. Pay is March payroll times twelve, so it's approximate. South Bend didn't report its staffing to the Census Bureau, so these are the Bureau's estimates.

Schools · school year 2023–24

South Bend Community School Corporation

South Bend's K–12 school district, shared with Centre, Clay, German, Greene, Indian Village and Portage. It is its own government, with a budget separate from the town's.

Spending per pupil
$17,729
Indiana: $13,688
Students
14,486
in the whole district
Long-term debt
$72.3 million
at year end

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

  • Local 31%
  • State 48%
  • Federal 20%

Of the $17,729 per pupil, $8,686 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 South Bend: Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation ($11,327 per pupil).

Property tax

What homeowners in South Bend pay

Typical tax bill
$1,332
a year · Indiana typical $1,614
Effective rate
0.95%
of home value · Indiana 0.74%
Typical home value
$140,400
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 South Bend's government

🏛️ Official websitesouthbendin.gov ↗

Town hall & decisions in South Bend →

Beyond town hall

Who represents South Bend

South Bend is represented in Congress by Senators Todd Young and Jim Banks and Representative Rudy Yakym III. Mike Braun is governor.

All of South Bend'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.

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South Bend

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