Jefferson 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]

Jefferson 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: $-744,720 (LSA)
• MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): convened
• wheel tax: adopted
• fiscal consultant named in records: other/in-house

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

• The seven-member Jefferson County Council has four district seats and three at-large seats. Members in 2026: Ray Denning (District 1), Mike Turner (District 2), Ray Black, Jr. (District 3), Dwayne May (District 4, council president) and at-large members Gary Copeland, Pam Crozier and Heather Foy ^{[23, 26]}.
• District 4 is an open seat: incumbent Republican Dwayne May, the council president, is not on the 2026 general-election ballot. Republican Chris Shelton and Democrat John Hutchinson are running ^{[23, 10, 24]}.
• Council ERA votes: on April 14, 2026 the council adopted declaratory Resolution 2026-010 for an ERA at Jefferson Proving Ground 6-0, with Ray Black abstaining because he had not had enough time to review it; after a May 12 public hearing at which many residents spoke, it voted 4-2 (Black abstaining) to postpone; and at a May 19 special meeting it approved the ERA (Resolution 2026-011) 6-0 with Ray Denning abstaining ^{[27, 31, 28]}.
• Jefferson County (county seat: Madison) has been debating a proposed hyperscale data center at the former Jefferson Proving Ground. Indiana Public Media reported in June 2026 that the 7.1-million-square-foot project is on privately owned land, that the developer has not been disclosed, that county officials approved the site for industrial use earlier in the year and that the council approved an Economic Revitalization Area (ERA) near the site; residents organized as Jefferson County Concerned Citizens are seeking a moratorium on future data centers ^[30].
• Other 2026 council business included LIT and ARPA appropriations to finish juvenile-facility upgrades at the old jail ($167,012 ARPA, $162,988 LIT and a $127,000 project contract) ^[32]; an equal $100,000 public-safety LIT distribution to county fire departments ^{[26, 33]}; $300,000 in casino revenue for chip-and-seal and gravel road conversions and a $200,000-a-year, five-year county contribution toward a new ambulance hub at the Norton King's Daughters' Health campus ^[33]; and a July 7 vote (6-1, Pam Crozier opposed) to table a library property-tax resolution for a roughly $10 million renovation until 2027 budgets are final in October ^[34]. In August the county's insurance consultant warned of health-insurance cost pressure for 2027 ^[35], and in September the council joined the new MUST committee on the local income tax structure ^{[36, 37]}.
• No candidate forums or debates for this race were found in sources reviewed.

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• District 4 is an open seat: incumbent Republican Dwayne May, the council president, is not on the 2026 general-election ballot. Republican Chris Shelton and Democrat John Hutchinson are running. (Jefferson County, Indiana)
• Jefferson County government adopted a $29.7 million budget for 2026, about $893 per resident; that is +8.3% 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 -6.0% versus prior law once fully in effect (2028, since delayed to 2029 by HEA 1210). (Indiana Legislative Services Agency)

Sources