Madison County Commissioner, District 1

What this office does

In 91 of Indiana's 92 counties, a three-member board of commissioners is the county executive and conducts the county's business in the board's name ^{[1, 2]}. Commissioners administer county government affairs that state law does not assign to a separately elected officer, while the county council, a separate elected body, controls budgets, tax rates and salaries ^{[2, 3, 4]}. Marion County is the exception: under the consolidated Indianapolis–Marion County government (Unigov), the mayor holds most executive power, and the elected county assessor, auditor and treasurer serve as the county commissioners, with duties that mostly concern county finances ^{[5, 2, 6]}.

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; seats are staggered, so one or two of the three seats are filled at each general election ^[7]

Elected

On the partisan general-election ballot; each commissioner represents a district and must live in it, but in every county except Lake and St. Joseph the whole county votes on every commissioner seat; in Lake and St. Joseph counties only the district's voters choose ^{[8, 9]}

Term limit

None stated; the statute that sets the four-year term does not limit how many terms a commissioner may serve ^[7]

Qualifications

Must have lived in the county at least one year and in the commissioner district 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 ^{[10, 9]}

Pay

Set locally: the county council fixes the compensation of county officers in its annual salary ordinance ^{[4, 11]}

On the 2026 ballot

94 races; 41 contested ^[12]

Madison 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.

• In most counties this department also holds countywide costs such as group and liability insurance, contracts and some capital projects. It is the department total, not the cost of the board of commissioners.

Also on the record for this office

• SEA 1 estimated county-unit revenue change in 2028 vs prior law: $-4,236,580 (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

• Madison County (Anderson) has three commissioners elected from districts; the District 1 seat is on the 2026 ballot. The May 2026 Republican and Democratic primary ballots listed a single countywide "County Commissioner" contest, which indicates countywide voting with a District 1 residency requirement ^[24].
• Open seat: incumbent Olivia Pratt did not run; Treasurer Dan Girt was unopposed in the Republican primary with 8,235 votes. No Democrat filed for the primary, so Todd Shelton's nomination came after the primary, and Mike A. Garringer is an independent ^{[24, 30, 12]}.
• County context — budget: in summer 2025 the council worked to trim the 2026 general-fund budget; the advertised 2026 budget of $46.4 million exceeded projected revenue of $44.4 million by $2 million, and Council President Scott Green proposed drawing $1.5 million from the $17.9 million Rainy Day Fund, which the auditor warned could affect financing of the jail bond ^[27]. A 0.2% local income tax expected to raise about $5.4 million a year helps fund the jail ^[27].
• County context — jail: the commissioners approved the new jail construction contract in late 2024, financed with $80 million in bonds and $7 million in federal ARPA money; the total project is about $100 million, the main facility is due to finish in late 2026, and a 104-bed addition came in nearly $400,000 under its $7.3 million estimate ^[25]. The new jail is planned for 525 inmates versus 270 in the old one ^[26].
• County context — data centers: the commissioners unanimously adopted a six-month data center moratorium in June 2026 and extended it to a full year in August 2026 while a committee drafts zoning rules, which could include a permanent ban; officials said no data center application had been filed ^{[28, 29]}.
• Key differences in stated positions: Garringer says he opposes data centers and battery storage projects; Shelton's issue page focuses on roads and drainage, spending review, closer scrutiny of tax incentives and public safety coordination; no platform for Girt was found ^{[31, 32]}.
• No candidate forum or debate for this race was found in reviewable coverage.

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• Open seat: incumbent Olivia Pratt did not run; Treasurer Dan Girt was unopposed in the Republican primary with 8,235 votes. No Democrat filed for the primary, so Todd Shelton's nomination came after the primary, and Mike A. Garringer is an independent. (Madison County, Indiana)
• Commissioners adopted a six-month data center moratorium unanimously on June 17, 2026 and extended it to a full year in Aug. 2026 while a committee drafts zoning rules. No project had been filed. Tax abatements are approved by the council. (indianapublicradio.org)
• Madison County government adopted a $86.8 million budget for 2026, about $642 per resident; that is +26.9% compared with 2023. (Indiana Gateway for Government Units)

Sources