Decatur 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]

What has changed in this job lately

Changes in the law the next officeholder will work under, most distant first.

1. 2023

   State law gave counties with 185,000 to 300,000 residents until September 1, 2023, to opt in to a nine-member council elected entirely from single-member districts ^{[1, 4, 19]}.

2. April 15, 2025

   Gov. Mike Braun signed Senate Enrolled Act 1, a property tax law he called historic tax relief; Rep. Greg Porter (D-Indianapolis) called it a lose-lose and said it would cost local governments and schools up to $1.8 billion over three years ^[20].

3. 2025

   SEA 1 rewrote county local income taxes: existing rates were set to be replaced by a new structure, local income tax councils were to be eliminated with the county fiscal body becoming the adopting body, the total county expenditure rate was capped at 2.9%, and cities and towns with at least 3,500 residents gained the power to adopt their own rate ^[16].

4. March 12, 2026

   House Enrolled Act 1210 delayed the local income tax overhaul by one year; current ordinances now expire January 1, 2029, the repeal of local income tax councils and the levy freeze is also delayed a year, and counties may form a Municipal Unit Strategic Taskforce with city and town representatives to negotiate revenue sharing ^{[17, 21]}.

5. 2026

   Senate tax committee chair Travis Holdman (R-Markle) said the delay aims for a more streamlined, tailored plan because counties are not all alike, while Amy Krieg of the organization representing cities and towns said the issue will be a multi-year discussion ^[21].

Decatur 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: $-781,450 (LSA)
• MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): none found
• wheel tax: none found
• 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

• Decatur County (county seat: Greensburg) has a seven-member county council; all four district seats are on the 2026 ballot ^{[22, 30]}.
• Budget pressure and local income tax changes are the main council issues in 2025–2026. At an August 2025 budget workshop, council minutes note that under new state law all local income tax (LIT) rates will be re-adopted and consolidated in 2027 and that future levy increases require a separate ordinance and public meeting ^[24]. At the August 18, 2026 budget hearing, the General Fund was described as needing about $3.25 million in reductions, with some jail costs ($1,090,315 working total) to be moved to the Special Purpose Jail fund; minutes also note a 50% increase in jail overtime, possibly due to turnover ^[31].
• Public safety: In February 2026 the sheriff presented the jail inspection report and told the council the facility was ranked in the top five of Indiana's 91 jails, with an inmate count of 115 ^[32].
• Economic development: In 2026 the council approved a tax abatement resolution for the Kanin Energy waste-heat project at the Rex pipeline pump station (6–0) and discussed updated county tax abatement guidelines in light of SEA 1's changes to personal property taxes ^{[28, 33]}.
• District 4 is effectively an open seat: Larry Heger defeated incumbent Ashley Emsweller Hungate in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary, 309–259, and Democrat Kevin Gay was unopposed in his primary with 76 votes ^[23]. No Democrats filed in the other three council districts ^[23].
• No candidate forums or debates were found in sources reviewed.

Who holds this seat now

Ashley Emsweller Hungate (Republican) — not on this ballot.

Republican Ashley Emsweller Hungate is a member of the seven-member Decatur County Council and sought renomination for District 4 in 2026. She lost the May 5, 2026 Republican primary to Larry Heger, 309 votes to 259, so District 4 will have a new member in 2027 ^{[22, 23]}.

Hungate's record in the job

• August 19, 2025: Moved to recommend submitting the state's estimated 2025 maximum levy and property-tax-cap loss figures as presented (6–0) ^[24].
• October 21, 2025: Moved adoption of the 2026 county budget, totaling $27,551,406 with a total adopted tax rate of 0.3860, including $4,878,608 for the Special Purpose Jail Tax fund; passed 6–0 ^[25].
• December 16, 2025: Seconded the election of Danny Peters as 2026 council president and Bill Metz as vice president (both 6–0) ^[26].
• January 2026: Listed as a member of the county's Long-Range Planning Committee on facilities, which is assessing capital needs for the annex, fairgrounds, parks and other buildings ^[27].
• April 21, 2026: Seconded Resolution 2026-10, formalizing a real estate and personal property tax abatement the council had approved in January 2023 (5–0, with one abstention) ^[28].
• May 5, 2026: Lost the Republican primary for District 4 to Larry Heger, 259 votes (45.6%) to 309 (54.4%) ^[23].
• July 21, 2026: Seconded the appointment of council member Kenny Hooten as the council's representative to the Municipal Unit Strategy Task Force on local income tax distribution (5–0) ^[29].

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• Budget pressure and local income tax changes are the main council issues in 2025–2026. (Decatur County Council)
• Decatur County government adopted a $32.2 million budget for 2026, about $1,211 per resident; that is +19.2% 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 -7.9% versus prior law once fully in effect (2028, since delayed to 2029 by HEA 1210). (Indiana Legislative Services Agency)

Sources