Lake County Council, District 1

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].

Lake 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: $-46,065,730 (LSA)
• MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): none found
• wheel tax: none found
• 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

• Open seat: incumbent David Hamm (Democrat) did not file for re-election ^{[25, 26]}.
• May 5, 2026 Democratic primary: Christina Signorelli 3,313 votes (63.53%), Scott E Miller 1,902 (36.47%) ^[36]. No Republican filed for District 1 in the primary ^{[26, 36]}; Jim Lietz appears as the Republican nominee on the state's general-election list ^[10].
• Signorelli is listed among county-office candidates endorsed by National Democratic County Officials ^[37]. Public statements by either nominee on county budget, tax or land-use questions were not found, so key differences between them could not be described.
• No candidate forums or debates for this race were found in the sources reviewed.
• The seven-member Lake County Council is the county's fiscal body: it fixes the county tax rate, makes appropriations and transfers, adopts the annual budget, incurs debt and sets salaries ^[38]. Each 2026 council race listed here is a single district seat; the Democratic and Republican primaries were held by district ^[36].
• Budget and SEA 1: at the Sept. 4, 2025 budget workshop, county Financial Director Scott Schmal said the county's 4 percent levy growth was offset by about 80 percent being "carved out towards the homestead credits" under the 2025 property-tax law (Senate Enrolled Act 1), leaving about $1 million of room for increases; the council voted 6-0 (one absent) to seed the 2026 budget at the 2025 level ^[28].
• On Oct. 14, 2025, during the 2026 budget's second reading, a motion for a 2 percent raise for non-contract employees funded from operating cash failed 3-2 (two absent), and the council voted 3-2 to eliminate positions vacant since January 2025; the tax-levy, appropriation and salary ordinances then passed 5-0 with two members absent ^[29].
• In April 2025 the council approved, 5-1 with one abstention, a resolution opposing SEA 1's provision to eliminate business personal property tax ^[27]. In August 2025 a proposal by Councilman Randy Niemeyer to create a county government efficiency committee, aimed at reducing reliance on the property-tax levy, failed 5-2 ^[39].
• Economic development: on Jan. 29, 2026 the council approved, 5-0 (two absent), an economic revitalization area and tax phase-in for a $125 million, 1-million-square-foot John Deere project at Routes 2 and 65; the Tri-Creek schools superintendent, Lowell's fire chief and township trustees raised concerns about school revenue and fire coverage at the hearing ^[33]. In February 2026 the council approved an ordinance requiring project labor agreements for county construction projects and projects receiving economic incentives ^[40].
• Data centers and energy: in March 2026 the council unanimously adopted zoning amendments requiring decommissioning plans and financial surety for battery energy storage systems and data centers in unincorporated Lake County ^[41]. Councilman Niemeyer announced an April 16, 2026 open house on a proposed data center ("Project Shirley") in south Lake County ^[42], and several residents spoke against data center development at the June 9, 2026 meeting ^[35]. The council also adopted resolutions on utility billing transparency (February 2026) and opposing the BP Whiting refinery lockout (July 2026) ^{[40, 43]}.
• Jail staffing: at the May 12, 2026 meeting, the correctional officers' union attorney said the county had offered no raise against the union's 6 percent request, and officers described overcrowding and 16-hour shifts; the minutes record that members noted the limits of their authority, including a legal ruling that gave the sheriff independent contract authority ^[44].
• County finances: in April 2026 a contractor in the auditor's office told the council that a required Property Tax Replacement Credit cash transfer had been missed for three years, an issue identified by the State Board of Accounts; the council voted 7-0 to request a joint meeting with the commissioners about leadership of the auditor's office ^[42]. In January and February 2026 the council approved up to $7 million in bonds to pay judgments and settlements against the county ^{[32, 40]}.

Who holds this seat now

David Hamm (Democratic) — not on this ballot.

David Hamm (Democrat) has represented District 1 since at least January 2015: county results show him winning the seat in 2014 with 67.6 percent over Republican Bryan Ciers and running unopposed in 2018 and 2022 ^{[22, 23, 24]}. He did not file for re-election in 2026, so the seat is open ^{[25, 26]}.

Hamm's record in the job

• April 8, 2025: Said the property taxes on his home had doubled since 2022 while a large retailer's had gone down; voted with the majority for a resolution opposing SEA 1's elimination of business personal property tax (passed 5-1, one abstention) ^[27].
• April 8, 2025: Moved that the council formally back the financial director's effort to reduce supplemental pay across departments, saying departments should know "This is coming from us"; passed 7-0 ^[27].
• Sept. 4, 2025: Moved to seed the 2026 budget at the 2025 adjusted level for all funds and salaries; passed 6-0 with one absent ^[28].
• Oct. 14, 2025: Seconded and voted for a 2 percent raise for non-contract employees offset from the operating balance (failed 3-2); voted against eliminating positions vacant since January 2025 (passed 3-2); moved the 2026 tax-levy ordinance, which passed 5-0 ^[29].
• Nov. 18, 2025: Moved to reduce the vacant Comptroller of Finance salary line in the auditor's office from $168,000 to $1 (passed 6-0); voted against a motion to eliminate all non-union vacant positions dating to Jan. 1, 2025 or earlier, which failed 3-3 ^[30].
• Dec. 9, 2025: Seconded approval of the council's legal-services contracts, which passed 5-2 and, for one litigation contract, 4-3 ^[31].
• 2026: Nominated Ronald Brewer for council vice president on Jan. 13 ^[32]; absent from the Jan. 29 special meeting on the John Deere tax phase-in and from the Aug. 11 regular meeting ^{[33, 34]}; seconded the June 9 approval of a rezoning from agricultural to M-1 industrial (Ordinance 2602) that reached the council with no Plan Commission recommendation ^[35].

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• Open seat: incumbent David Hamm (Democrat) did not file for re-election. (Lake County Board of Elections and Voter Registration)
• Lake County government adopted a $441.9 million budget for 2026, about $876 per resident; that is +7.9% 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 -20.1% versus prior law once fully in effect (2028, since delayed to 2029 by HEA 1210). (Indiana Legislative Services Agency)

Sources