Bartholomew County Council, District 4

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

• Bartholomew County (county seat: Columbus) has a seven-member county council: four members elected by district and three at large. All seven current members are Republicans ^[22]. WCSI describes District 4 as covering southern Bartholomew County ^[31].
• Open seat: incumbent Republican Jorge Morales did not file for re-election ^{[23, 24]}.
• May 5, 2026 primaries: County Treasurer Barb Hackman beat Rick Miller in the Republican primary, 1,322-698 (65.5%-34.5%). Michelle Carr was unopposed for the Democratic nomination (493 votes) ^{[32, 33]}.
• County issues in 2025-2026 include: (1) Replacing the aging youth services center; the council approved up to $16 million ^[29]. (2) Road money: the county got no Community Crossings award in the state's first FY2026 round (December 2025), and county officials said they did not believe it was a response to the county not adopting a wheel tax; the council approved $1.5 million to cover the loss, and in March 2026 commissioners said the state told them more than $843,000 could come in a later round ^{[34, 30]}. (3) A supplemental local income tax payment of about $3.8 million in May 2026, $1 million of it for the jail ^[35]. (4) Zoning rules for data centers, which commissioners asked the plan commission to review in August 2026 ^[36].
• WCSI aired interviews with Hackman and Miller before the primary ^[31]. No general-election forums or debates for this race were found in the sources reviewed.

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• Open seat: incumbent Republican Jorge Morales did not file for re-election. (1010 WCSI)
• 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