Bartholomew County Council, District 2

What this office does

The county council is the county's fiscal body: it sets the county property tax rate, appropriates the money the county spends and fixes the pay and number of county employees ^{[1, 2, 3]}. Most councils have seven members, four elected from districts and three elected countywide (at large), though some larger counties elect all members by district ^{[1, 4]}. The board of commissioners runs county government day to day, while the council controls the money ^{[5, 6]}. Marion County has no separate county council; the 25-member Indianapolis City-County Council serves as the legislative body for the consolidated city-county government ^{[7, 8]}.

The job in full — the duties the Indiana Code puts in it, the term, what it pays and who sets that, and what to ask a candidate.

Term

4 years, starting January 1 after the election; district seats and at-large seats are filled at alternating general elections ^[9]

Elected

On the partisan general-election ballot; in most counties four members are elected by district voters and three at large by the whole county, while counties of 400,000–700,000 residents elect seven members by district and opt-in counties of 185,000–300,000 elect nine by district ^{[4, 1]}. Every county council race on the 2026 state candidate list is a district seat ^[10]

At-large races

All three at-large seats are filled at the same election, so voters may choose up to three candidates and the top three vote-getters win; straight-ticket votes do not count in these multi-seat races ^{[4, 11]}

Term limit

None stated; the statute that sets the four-year term does not limit how many terms a member may serve ^[9]

Qualifications

Must have lived in the county at least one year, and in the district (for a district seat) at least six months, before the election, and be registered to vote in the election district; a county employee who is elected must leave that county job on taking office ^{[12, 13]}

Pay

Set locally in the council's annual ordinance fixing the compensation of county officers and employees ^{[3, 14]}

On the 2026 ballot

368 races; 147 contested ^[10]

Bartholomew County's numbers for this office

Legal Insights county office research (Oct. 13, 2026): Indiana Gateway budgets 2019-2026 and the indicator sources linked on each line.

Also on the record for this office

• SEA 1 estimated county-unit revenue change in 2028 vs prior law: $-1,228,840 (LSA)
• MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): discussed
• wheel tax: declined
• fiscal consultant named in records: Reedy

Measured, for this county

A position compares this county with counties of similar size. It is not a grade: for most measures a higher or lower number is neither good nor bad on its own.

About this race

• Incumbent Leah Beyer (R) faces Zack Patchett (D). Beyer won a close Republican primary by seven votes; no Democrat filed for the primary, and Patchett appears on the county's final general-election filing list, updated July 16, 2026 ^{[24, 29]}.
• All seven current Bartholomew County Council members are Republicans: four elected from districts and three at large. The four district seats (terms ending December 31, 2026) are on the 2026 ballot; the at-large terms run through 2028 ^{[25, 23]}.
• Budget context: according to District 2 council member Leah Beyer's campaign site, the county's adopted 2026 budget totals $68,674,954, including a $39.4 million General Fund, with sheriff, jail and corrections spending of about $16 million; the site also notes a state cut to Health First Indiana public-health funding and says the county hired Reedy Financial Group to model the effects of the 2025 property-tax law (SEA 1) ^[26]. These figures come from campaign material and were not checked against the county's budget document.
• Wheel tax: Bartholomew County does not have a wheel tax. Indiana Insight reported in October 2025 that the county had delayed a decision until 2027 ^[30]; Beyer's site says the county has until September 2026 to decide and that opting out could reduce eligibility for state Community Crossings road grants ^[26]. No report of a council decision was found.
• Beyer's stated focus is on justifying spending, protecting reserves and deciding the wheel tax with full information ^[26]; Patchett's party bio lists affordable housing, renewable energy, transparency and competitive pay for county employees ^[31].
• No candidate forum or debate for this race was found as of October 11, 2026.

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• Wheel tax: Bartholomew County does not have a wheel tax. (Indiana Insight)
• Bartholomew County government adopted a $68.7 million budget for 2026, about $801 per resident; that is +16.3% compared with 2023. (Indiana Gateway for Government Units)
• Legislative Services Agency estimate: the 2025 property tax law (SEA 1) changes the county government's net property tax levy by -4.7% versus prior law once fully in effect (2028, since delayed to 2029 by HEA 1210). (Indiana Legislative Services Agency)

Sources