Hancock 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]

Hancock 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.

This county's council has no budget lines of its own (department 0061); council pay is probably budgeted under the commissioners or another department.

Also on the record for this office

• SEA 1 estimated county-unit revenue change in 2028 vs prior law: $-2,786,260 (LSA)
• MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): discussed
• wheel tax: none found
• fiscal consultant named in records: FSG

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

• Hancock County (county seat: Greenfield) has a seven-member council: four members elected by district and three at large. The council holds the county's fiscal powers and meets on the second Wednesday of each month; it also holds a monthly Budget, Efficiency & Revenue Committee meeting ^{[22, 25]}.
• Open seat: incumbent James Shelby, whose term ends Dec. 31, 2026, is not on the 2026 ballot. Jeff Cummins (Republican, filed Jan. 7, 2026) and Carol Pearson (Democratic, filed Jan. 15, 2026) are the only District 3 filers on the county's candidate list ^{[24, 23]}.
• May 5, 2026 primary: both candidates were unopposed. The county's summary report (marked unofficial) shows Cummins with 1,409 votes in the Republican primary and Pearson with 472 in the Democratic primary ^[34].
• Issues before the council in 2026, from its minutes and agendas: the 2027 budget and a 2026 general obligation bond for capital needs (vehicles, a sheriff's support building, courthouse work); a local income tax (LIT) ordinance introduced in August with a public hearing set for Sept. 29, and new state rules under which the council must work with cities, towns and townships on how LIT is divided and approve rates for 2028 and 2029; the cost of the jail recovery/navigation program once federal ARPA money ends in 2026 ($322,976 projected for 2027); sheriff's pension funding; salary parity between public defenders and prosecutors; and frequent tax-abatement and CF-1 compliance votes for warehouse and industrial projects near Mt. Comfort and I-70 ^{[25, 35, 32, 33, 36, 37]}.
• Data centers: in April 2026 the council appointed Councilmember Clark Smith to a data center committee, and at the June 30, 2026 joint meeting he reminded attendees of a data center meeting the next day; residents also raised concerns in public comment about warehouses and new development ^{[38, 30]}.
• No candidate forums, debates or news coverage of this race were found in sources reviewed.

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• Open seat: incumbent James Shelby, whose term ends Dec. 31, 2026, is not on the 2026 ballot. Jeff Cummins (Republican, filed Jan. 7, 2026) and Carol Pearson (Democratic, filed Jan. 15, 2026) are the only District 3 filers on the county's candidate list. (Hancock County Election Office)
• Hancock County government adopted a $97.1 million budget for 2026, about $1,067 per resident; that is +14.7% 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 -13.3% versus prior law once fully in effect (2028, since delayed to 2029 by HEA 1210). (Indiana Legislative Services Agency)

Sources