City of Lebanon Expenditures Per Capita

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There are currently 565 cities and towns in Indiana, excluding Indianapolis which is considered to be a special district due to its consolidated structure. Population counts for Indiana cities and towns range from 22 (River Forest Town) to 253,691 (Fort Wayne City).

All cities and towns in Indiana provide police, fire protection, and developmental planning. Some cities and towns, including Lebanon, also provide enterprise services, such as electrical, water, sewer, and solid waste removal.

Starting 2009, Indiana’s Department of Local Government Finance has separated expenditures per capita for cities and towns between total non-enterprise net expenditures and total net expenditures, which is the sum of non-enterprise and enterprise expenditures. Total net expenditures per capita have been compiled since 2005. Listed next is a year-by-year comparison of Lebanon’s expenditures per capita compared to the average and median for all Indiana cities and towns. The median is the expenditures per capita amount where half the cities and towns spend more and half spend less. When comparing Lebanon’s expenditures per capita, one should note that Lebanon is NOT one of the numerous Indiana cities and towns that receive large amounts of revenue from specialized sources such as gambling riverboats – these specialized sources of revenue may allow for greater per capita expenditures by the impacted cities and towns.

City of Lebanon Total Expenditures Per Capita
(includes police, fire protection, developmental planning, electrical, water, sewer, solid waste removal)

2011 Lebanon = $3,155.87
2011 Lebanon Rank = 64th Highest of 565 Cities and Towns
2011 Indiana Municipal Average = $1,735.97 (Lebanon 81.2% higher)
2011 Indiana Municipal Median = $1,432.57 (Lebanon 120.3% higher)

2010 Lebanon = $835.86
2010 Indiana Municipal Average = $1,441.18 (Lebanon 42.0% lower)
2010 Indiana Municipal Median = $1,128.79 (Lebanon 26.0% lower)

2009 Lebanon = $3,853.80 (2011 Report) or $1,371.68 (2010 Report)
2009 Indiana Municipal Average = $1,145.89 (Lebanon 236.3% or 19.7% higher)
2009 Indiana Municipal Median = $827.89 (Lebanon 365.5% or 65.7% higher)

2008 Lebanon = $5,366.90
2008 Indiana Municipal Average = $1,918.23 (Lebanon 179.8% higher)
2008 Indiana Municipal Median = $1,487.22 (Lebanon 260.9% higher)

2007 Lebanon = $3,074.30
2007 Indiana Municipal Average = $2,873.19 (Lebanon 7.0% higher)
2007 Indiana Municipal Median = $2,155.20 (Lebanon 42.6% higher)

2006 Lebanon = Data Not Provided
2006 Indiana Municipal Average = 1,767.91
2006 Indiana Municipal Median = 1,306.73

2005 Lebanon = Data Not Provided
2005 Indiana Municipal Average = 2,792.06
2005 Indiana Municipal Median = 2,867.79

City of Lebanon Non-Enterprise Expenditures Per Capita
(includes police, fire protection, developmental planning)

2011 Lebanon = $1,161.88
2011 Lebanon Rank = 128th Highest of 565 Cities and Towns
2011 Indiana Municipal Average = $882.17 (Lebanon 31.7% higher)
2011 Indiana Municipal Median = $664.90 (Lebanon 74.7% higher)

2010 Lebanon = $835.86
2010 Indiana Municipal Average = $684.46 (Lebanon 22.1% higher)
2010 Indiana Municipal Median = $515.99 (Lebanon 62.0% higher)

2009 Lebanon = $896.11

Sources – Department of Local Government Finance Reports on Expenditures Per Capita:
April 30, 2012 at http://www.in.gov/dlgf/files/Report_on_Expenditures_Per_Capita.pdf;
April 2011 at http://www.in.gov/dlgf/files/2011_-_Expenditure_per_Capita.pdf;
May 2010 at http://www.in.gov/dlgf/files/Report_on_Expenditure_per_Capita_2010.pdf;
May 2009 at http://www.in.gov/dlgf/files/2009_Report_Expenditures_Per_Capita.pdf;
May 2008 at http://www.in.gov/dlgf/files/ExpenditurePerCapitaReport-2007.pdf;
May 2007 at http://www.in.gov/dlgf/files/ExpenditurePerCapitaReport-2006.pdf;
May 2006 at http://www.in.gov/dlgf/files/ExpenditurePerCapitaReport-2005.pdf.

Lebanon’s per capita spending on police, fire protection, and developmental planning has been considerably higher than the typical Indiana city and town. Lebanon’s per capita spending on utility services has also been a lot more than the Indiana norm. Recent trends indicate that the profligate spending will only get worse without political change – Lebanon’s Pay 2012 property tax rate increased 12.4%, and the Lebanon City Council also requested an 18.6% increase in the 2012 residential customer electric rate.

A community controversy exists in Lebanon between the Greater Lebanon Community Vision Committee and citizens who favor orderly growth that pays for itself. Lebanon is primarily a bedroom community where most citizens want an affordable place to live that supports orderly municipal growth without extravagant tax subsidies and utility rate increases that support developers. Lebanon is sadly on track to become "Fishers West" with suburban sprawl, high taxes, and runaway utility costs. Concerned Lebanon citizens must let our elected "public servants" know they are headed in the wrong direction!

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This page was last updated on 08/08/12.