Elkhart 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]

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].

Elkhart 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: $-6,123,740 (LSA)
• MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): none found
• wheel tax: none found
• 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

• Elkhart County (county seat: Goshen) has a seven-member council: four members elected by district and three at large. All seven current members are Republicans: Doug Graham (District 1), Randy Yohn (District 2), Darryl Riegsecker (District 3), David Hess (District 4), and Tom Stump, Adam Bujalski and Steven Clark (at large) ^[22].
• Not an open seat: incumbent Riegsecker is on the ballot against Democrat Kevin M Peters ^[10].
• Primary: The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 endorsed Riegsecker in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary ^[27]. A local preview of key primary races did not include District 3 ^[28]. Primary vote totals were not reviewed.
• Budget and SEA 1: County officials kept 2026 spending down because of uncertainty over SEA 1. At-large Councilman Adam Bujalski said he would have preferred an even smaller budget and that the county's rainy-day fund was in good shape ^[26]. At a March 2026 town hall, at-large Councilman Steve Clark said the county could consider a local income tax of about 0.7% for infrastructure and public safety. He noted that cities, towns, libraries and schools would not share in that revenue ^[29].
• No candidate forums or debates for this race were found in sources reviewed.

Who holds this seat now

Darryl Riegsecker (Republican) — not on this ballot.

Republican Darryl J. Riegsecker holds the District 3 seat on the seven-member Elkhart County Council. His current term ends Dec. 31, 2026 ^[22]. He is running for reelection against Democrat Kevin M Peters ^[10].

Riegsecker's record in the job

• September 4, 2025: Signed, as District 3 councilor, a joint letter from Elkhart County's commissioners, all seven county councilors and the mayors of Goshen, Nappanee and Elkhart. The letter asked state lawmakers to pause and revise the 2025 property-tax law (SEA 1), saying it "reduces local revenue and pressures cities to raise fees, create new taxes, or cut services" ^{[23, 24]}.
• October 2025: The council adopted a 2026 county budget of just under $180 million, more than $10 million below the advertised proposal, with cuts to the General, Highway, Health and Election and Registration funds ^[25]. ABC57 reported the vote as 5-0 ^[26]. How Riegsecker voted individually was not found.

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• Not an open seat: incumbent Riegsecker is on the ballot against Democrat Kevin M Peters. (Indiana Election Division)
• Elkhart County government adopted a $179.7 million budget for 2026, about $861 per resident; that is +15.4% 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 -9.8% versus prior law once fully in effect (2028, since delayed to 2029 by HEA 1210). (Indiana Legislative Services Agency)

Sources