2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Madison County Council, District 3

Voted on across Madison County, in district 3. Open seat: Jodi Norrick is not on the ballot.

Find your exact ballot All Madison County races

Who votes on this seat: Only voters who live in District 3 vote in this race. 2026 General Election Candidate List

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 the law puts in this job (13)

Serves as the county fiscal body under the name of the county council ^[1].
Sets the county property tax rate and other countywide rates not fixed by state law ^[2].
Appropriates county money; except as otherwise provided by law, money may leave the county treasury only under an appropriation the council makes ^[2].
Adopts the annual budget at a yearly meeting where the county auditor presents budget estimates; budget ordinances must be read on two separate days, and funding an item above the estimates takes a three-fourths vote ^[14].
Adopts a separate salary ordinance setting the pay of county officers and employees and the number of deputies and employees in each office, after considering the commissioners' recommendations ^{[14, 3]}.
Sets pay schedules and job classifications paid from the county general, highway, park and other funds, except that each local health department board sets pay for its own staff ^[3].
Controls spending and revenue collection in the county, including special spending requests during the year ^[6].
Authorizes by ordinance the bonds that fund county road and bridge projects and can create a county housing authority by resolution ^[8].
Serves as the county legislative body as well as the fiscal body in Lake and St. Joseph counties ^[8].
Declares a commissioner's seat vacant when the commissioner moves out of the county or district, and in certain cases can remove a county commissioner from office ^{[15, 13]}.
Becomes the body that adopts county local income tax rates under the 2025 SEA 1 overhaul, replacing local income tax councils; the change is now scheduled for ordinances adopted starting July 1, 2028 ^{[16, 17]}.
Has its adopted budget, tax rate and levies reviewed by the state Department of Local Government Finance, whose county budget order certifies the approved budget, tax rate and levy for each fund ^[18].
Does not run county departments day to day; the commissioners provide administrative oversight and the council provides fiduciary oversight ^[5].

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.

This office's 2026 budget

$1,386,876

1.6% of the county's adopted 2026 budget · 998% more than 2019, before inflation

2019 $126,3482026 $1,386,876

The year-by-year figures

Adopted budget, all funds, 2019-2026 (not adjusted for inflation)

2019: $126,348
2020: $125,085
2021: $124,485
2022: $321,648
2023: $266,648
2024: $290,148
2025: $334,312
2026: $1,386,876

Budget lines counted: 0061 COUNTY COUNCIL

Adopted 2026 county budget (Form 1 line items, Form 4B) and earlier years' budgets

All members combined, 2026 budget lines (presidents are often paid more)

$99,148

From the county budget; verify against the county's 2026 salary ordinance. A line can include longevity pay or a second role.

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.

General Fund cash, in days of spending · 2025

117 days

End-of-2025 General Fund cash divided by a year's disbursements, times 365.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: high (council and commissioners jointly): spending and appropriation decisions

Position 14 of 17 counties with 50,000 to 150,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Share of the 2025 General Fund budget spent · 2025

102.1%

Actual General Fund spending divided by the certified budget.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: high (council appropriates; commissioners and officers spend)

Position 4 of 17 counties with 50,000 to 150,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

County debt per resident · 2025

$34.90

Debt outstanding at the end of 2025 (annual financial report).

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: high (council authorizes borrowing; commissioners initiate many projects)

Position 13 of 17 counties with 50,000 to 150,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Budget growth, 2023 to 2026 · 2023-2026

+26.9%

Adopted budget, all funds, not adjusted for inflation.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: high (council adopts the budget)

Position 8 of 17 counties with 50,000 to 150,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

SEA 1 estimate for 2028 · 2028 (LSA estimate)

-12.6%

Legislative Services Agency estimate of the county government's revenue change under the 2025 property tax law, compared with prior law.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: low: set by state law (SEA 1-2025); local rate choices from 2028 change the outcome

Position 15 of 17 counties with 50,000 to 150,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source

Property tax cap credits · 2026

18.6%

Tax-cap (circuit breaker) credits as a share of the 2026 levy: revenue the county does not collect because of the caps.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: low: set mainly by the constitutional caps and the combined rates of all units in the county

Position 4 of 17 counties with 50,000 to 150,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Local income tax share of county revenue · 2026

44.0%

How much of the county's revenue comes from local income tax.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: partial: the council adopts local income tax rates within limits set by state law

Position 9 of 17 counties with 50,000 to 150,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Meeting minutes online · 2026-10

Agendas only

Whether the council's or commissioners' minutes are posted online (the better of the two), checked Oct. 2026.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: high (commissioners and council decide what they post)

About this race

Madison County (county seat: Anderson) has a seven-member county council; four members are elected by district and three at large ^[25]. The council meets on the second Tuesday of each month at the Madison County Government Center in Anderson ^[27].
District 3 is an open seat: incumbent Republican Jodi Norrick did not appear on the 2026 primary ballot ^[24]. The Ballot Brief, a candidate-listing site, lists Fred Reese (Democratic), Greg Noland (Libertarian) and Mike Reed (Republican) on the Nov. 3 ballot ^{[28, 10]}.
May 5, 2026 primary (official county results): Mike Reed was unopposed for the Republican nomination with 1,406 votes, and Fred Reese was unopposed for the Democratic nomination with 2,137 votes. Noland did not appear on the primary ballot ^[24].
Budget pressure is the main issue for the council. The Herald Bulletin reported in September 2025 that the council had to cut about $2 million from an advertised $46.4 million 2026 budget because projected revenue was $44.4 million. It also reported that Council President Scott Green proposed using $1.5 million of a $17.9 million Rainy Day Fund, and that the auditor warned this could affect financing of the $79.7 million bond for the new jail ^[29].
Jail and public-safety pay: The Herald Bulletin reported that a 0.2% local income tax raises about $5.4 million a year toward the new jail, which will hold 525 inmates (the current jail holds 270), and that the council had to find about $680,000 for a new sheriff's merit-officer contract approved by the commissioners ^{[29, 30]}.
No candidate forum or debate for this race was found in the sources reviewed.

Candidates on the ballot

Greg Noland

Libertarian

Libertarian Greg Noland is listed on the November ballot for District 3 ^{[28, 10]}. No campaign website or statement of positions was found.

How Noland got on the ballot

Did not appear on the May 2026 primary ballot ^[24]; he is listed on the general-election ballot as the Libertarian candidate ^{[10, 28]}.

What we could not find about Noland

No campaign website, questionnaire or interview was found; his background and positions are unknown.
How he was nominated (for example, a Libertarian Party convention) was not documented in the sources reviewed.
A Ballotpedia page for a Greg Noland could not be reviewed for this profile; any past candidacies are unconfirmed.
No biographical information about the 2026 candidate was found in the sources reviewed.
No stated plans were found in the sources reviewed.
No statements by Noland about Norrick or the council's record were found in the sources reviewed.
No endorsements or campaign-finance reports were found in the sources reviewed.

Sources for Noland

Madison County Council, District 3 (The Ballot Brief)

Mike Reed

Republican

Republican Mike Reed was unopposed for the Republican nomination in May 2026 ^[24]. The Ballot Brief describes him as a retired 31-year Anderson Police Department officer who serves on the Edgewood Town Council ^[28].

Reed's background

The Ballot Brief, citing his campaign site, describes him as a retired 31-year veteran of the Anderson Police Department, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a 2005 graduate of the FBI National Academy, and says he serves on the Edgewood Town Council ^[28].

Reed's positions

Budget & taxes

The Ballot Brief, citing his campaign site, lists his priorities as eliminating waste and inefficiency and protecting taxpayers from unnecessary tax increases ^[28].

Public safety & jail

The Ballot Brief, citing his campaign site, says he wants county government to focus on core public safety and infrastructure functions ^[28].

How Reed got on the ballot

Unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary for District 3, with 1,406 votes ^[24].

What we could not find about Reed

The police career, Edgewood council service and priorities come from The Ballot Brief, a candidate-listing site that attributes them to his campaign site; that campaign site could not be located, and the details were not confirmed in a news story or official record.
Possible match, not confirmed: the Town of Edgewood's website lists a Mike Reed on the town council, elected in 2024, serving as police department commissioner and living in Edgewood since 2017; the page does not mention a county council candidacy or a police career ^[31].
No campaign website, social-media page or interview was found.
No specific budget, jail or tax proposals were found beyond the priorities listed by The Ballot Brief ^[28].
No statements by Reed about Norrick or the council's direction were found in the sources reviewed.
No endorsements or campaign-finance reports were found in the sources reviewed.

Sources for Reed

Summary Results Report, Primary Election, May 5, 2026 (Official Results) (Madison County, Indiana)

Fred Reese

Democratic

Democrat Fred Reese ran for the District 3 seat in 2022 and was unopposed for the Democratic nomination in May 2026 ^{[28, 24]}. No campaign website or statement of positions was found.

Reese's background

The Herald Bulletin reported in February 2024 that Fred Reese Jr. lost a 2022 district race for the county council and was then seeking a Democratic nomination for county council in 2024 ^[25].
The Ballot Brief says he previously ran for this District 3 seat in 2022 ^[28].

How Reese got on the ballot

Unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary for District 3, with 2,137 votes ^[24].

What we could not find about Reese

No campaign website, questionnaire or interview was found; his positions on the budget, the jail and taxes are unknown.
A candidate-profile site lists a Fred Reese as having served on the Madison County Council for District 3 from 2019 to 2022, but the same page lists a different party, so it was not used; whether he held the seat before 2023 is unconfirmed.
Herald Bulletin coverage of the 2022 District 3 race could not be reviewed for this profile.
The outcome of his 2024 bid for a council nomination was not confirmed.
No stated plans were found in the sources reviewed.
No statements by Reese about Norrick or the council's record were found in the sources reviewed.
No endorsements or campaign-finance reports were found in the sources reviewed.

Sources for Reese

Madison County Council, District 3 (The Ballot Brief)

Key points

District 3 is an open seat: incumbent Republican Jodi Norrick did not appear on the 2026 primary ballot. The Ballot Brief, a candidate-listing site, lists Fred Reese (Democratic), Greg Noland (Libertarian) and Mike Reed (Republican) on the Nov. 3 ballot. (Madison County, Indiana)
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)
Legislative Services Agency estimate: the 2025 property tax law (SEA 1) changes the county government's net property tax levy by -12.6% versus prior law once fully in effect (2028, since delayed to 2029 by HEA 1210). (Indiana Legislative Services Agency)

Sources

Researched Sunday, October 11, 2026

Indiana Code 36-2-3-2: County council as fiscal body; size (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 36-2-5-2: Tax rates and appropriations (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 36-2-5-3: Compensation of officers and employees (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 36-2-3-4: Council districts and at-large members (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Commissioners Responsibilities (Boone County, Indiana)
About the County Council (Hancock County, Indiana)
Indiana Code 36-2-3-1: Application of chapter (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
County Government Overview: Indiana (National Association of Counties (NACo))
Indiana Code 36-2-3-3: Election and term of fiscal body (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
Monroe County voters put three incumbent Democrats back on county council (The B Square Bulletin (Dave Askins))
Indiana Code 3-8-1-22: Candidates for county council (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (Indiana Election Division)
Indiana Code 36-2-5-11: Annual budget, tax rate and salary ordinances (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 36-2-2-5: Qualifications and residency of members; district or countywide election (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Major Changes to Expenditure Rate of LIT in SEA 1 (2025) (Barnes & Thornburg LLP)
Legislation Affecting Local Income Taxes (memorandum on HEA 1210-2026) (Indiana Department of Local Government Finance)
County Specific Information (Indiana Department of Local Government Finance)
Summary Results Report, Primary Election, May 5, 2026 (Official Results) (Madison County, Indiana)
Filings produce contested primaries in Madison County for both parties (The Herald Bulletin (via Yahoo News))
County Council (Madison County, Indiana)
Madison County Council, District 3 (The Ballot Brief)
County Council tasked with trimming $2 million from proposed 2026 budget (The Herald Bulletin (via Yahoo News))
County Council hoping to provide 3% pay increase in 2026 (The Herald Bulletin (via Yahoo News))
Town Council (Town of Edgewood, Indiana)

What's included: the U.S. House, statewide offices, every Indiana House and Senate district on the ballot, Indiana's statewide public questions and judicial retention questions, and county, township, city, town and school board races from the Indiana Election Division's candidate list.
Everything else: Local races (county, city, school board, judges) and anything else on your ballot are on your official sample ballot: IndianaVoters.in.gov.
Candidate lists: As of Sunday, October 18, 2026.
At the polls: Indiana law lets you bring a list of candidates and public questions into the polling place, including one stored on your phone, as long as you don't electioneer. IC 3-11-8-18.5

This is not an official ballot. Confirm your registration, polling place and ballot with your election office through vote.gov.