DeKalb 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]

DeKalb 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: $-1,344,310 (LSA)
• MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): convened
• wheel tax: adopted
• fiscal consultant named in records: none found

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

• DeKalb County (county seat: Auburn) has a seven-member county council: four members elected from districts and three elected at large. The county describes the council as the fiscal branch, approving the county's operating and capital budgets and the issuance of county bonds ^[22].
• Issues before the council in 2025–2026 included a new county wheel tax and vehicle excise surtax for road funding beginning in 2026 ^[25]; the closing of the county's Sunny Meadows facility, which a commissioner announced at the council's January 7, 2026 meeting ^[28]; tax abatements and economic revitalization areas ^[27]; and, in March 2026, a pending state bill (SB 179) that council minutes say would bar Auburn and Garrett from adding their own wheel and excise tax on top of the county rate, which could prompt reconsideration of the county rate ^[30].
• Incumbent Amy Demske is not on the November ballot. Republican Brent Warfield and Democrat Bobby York are the District 3 candidates ^{[24, 10]}. Whether Demske sought re-election, and the May 5, 2026 primary results for this seat, could not be confirmed for this profile.
• No candidate forums or debates were found in sources reviewed.

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• DeKalb County (county seat: Auburn) has a seven-member county council: four members elected from districts and three elected at large. (DeKalb County, Indiana)
• DeKalb County government adopted a $62.0 million budget for 2026, about $1,391 per resident; that is +8.2% 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 -8.8% versus prior law once fully in effect (2028, since delayed to 2029 by HEA 1210). (Indiana Legislative Services Agency)

Sources