Boone County Council, District 3

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]

Boone 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: $-2,296,440 (LSA)
• MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): consultant hired
• wheel tax: discussed
• fiscal consultant named in records: Baker Tilly

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

• District 3 covers Center Township precincts 1, 3–5, 6, 8–13 and 15–17 plus Union 02, in and around Lebanon. Council district seats are chosen only by voters in the district ^[30].
• May 5, 2026 primary: Van Horn won the Republican nomination with 856 votes (61.85%) over James Edward Davis (296, 21.39%) and Christian (Chris) Litscher (232, 16.76%). Geoffrey (Geoff) Lee was unopposed for the Democratic nomination with 375 votes ^[31].
• Van Horn was unopposed in the 2022 general election, so this is the first contested general election for the seat since at least 2022 ^[24].
• What the council has been dealing with (from the council's own minutes): in June 2026 members voted 7-0 to hire Baker Tilly to help the council and other local taxing units evaluate and carry out local income tax (LIT) changes "in response to SEA 1 (2025) and HEA 1210 (2026)"; in April 2026 they reviewed scenarios for distributing public-safety LIT money to fire and EMS providers ^{[32, 28]}.
• Roads and bridges: in October 2025 the council approved three highway bond notes of up to $2 million each, and in January 2026 it moved $2,968,000 for bridge projects, $963,000 for small structures and $655,000 for road conversions from county general reserves into the 2026 highway budget, all 7-0 ^{[23, 27]}.
• Taxes and reserves: in September 2025 the council voted 7-0 to raise the county innkeeper's (hotel) tax from 5% to 8%; in May 2026 it voted 7-0 to move $2 million from the county general fund to the Rainy Day fund ^{[23, 29]}.
• Spending oversight: through the first half of 2026 the council's attorneys reviewed total spending on the county's new Justice Center and delivered a report in June 2026 ^{[27, 32]}. The council set 2027 budget workshops for August–October 2026 and advertised a 5% maximum pay raise on its salary forms, noting a lower figure could be adopted later ^[29].
• No candidate forums or debates for this race were found in sources reviewed.

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• District 3 covers Center Township precincts 1, 3–5, 6, 8–13 and 15–17 plus Union 02, in and around Lebanon. Council district seats are chosen only by voters in the district. (Boone County, Indiana)
• Boone County government adopted a $76.8 million budget for 2026, about $952 per resident; that is +48.8% 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 -11.4% versus prior law once fully in effect (2028, since delayed to 2029 by HEA 1210). (Indiana Legislative Services Agency)

Sources