Harris Township’s (HT) 2023 tax rate of 1.9525 is among the lowest in St. Joseph County. Only Madison Township’s rate of 1.6876 is lower. Exclusive of the Clay Fire Territory levy, the HT rates are 0.0067 for the General Fund, and 0.0008 for the Township Assistance Fund. See the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) website for details.

 Budget Notice to Taxpayers

Indiana’s Department of Local Government Finance (“Department”), in partnership with the Indiana Business Research Center (“IBRC”), pursuant to IC 5-14-3.9, released an online dashboard for political subdivisions.  The dashboard displays summary information about political subdivisions, including revenues, expenditures, and assessed values.   The dashboard may be found on Gateway.
The URL for the Gateway online dashboard is https://gateway.ifionline.org/public/FD/overview.aspx.

  IC 5-14.3.9-5(b) states the following:
(b) A political subdivision shall prominently display on the main Internet web page of the political subdivision’s Internet web site the link provided by the department to the Indiana transparency Internet web site established under IC 5-14-3.7.

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About the township’s budget

Harris Township’s budget is approved annually by the township board.  It is based on the duties of the township, and supports the priorities of the township.  If you are interested to learn more, please reach out to the trustee or any board member.

The operating budget for the general duties of the township, excluding Poor Relief (aka Township Assistance) is approximately $125,000.
The township operates without a full-time staff, but relies on the efforts of contractors, elected officials, and part-time, seasonal help.
Total expenditures related to Poor Relief – administration and awards – has typically been under $10,000 annually since 2016.
Capital expenditures, under the General Fund, vary annually according to projects – for example, the creation of the new Harris Township Park at Elm Road.

Revenues:
Traditional sources of revenue to the township include property taxes, which remain low compared to other areas. 
While the township played no role in the approval of any local income tax, by law the county distributes a proportional share to the township.  It is significantly reduced starting in 2022, by action of the County Council and City of Mishawaka.
Cell tower revenues, earnings on deposits, and other non-traditional, non-tax revenues are a growing part of the township’s income. This has been the case since 2015.

The Clay Fire Territory (CFT) serves Harris Township.  A budget and related tax levy to support CFT is developed under a process separate from the township budgeting process. Day-to-day operations are administered by Clay Township.  Related expenses and revenues are not direct responsibilities of Harris Township itself, but the CFT tax levy is part of the township line item displayed on property tax bills.