Putnam County Council, District 2

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]

Putnam 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: $-748,720 (LSA)
• MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): none found
• wheel tax: adopted
• fiscal consultant named in records: Baker Tilly

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

• Incumbent Jay Alcorn (Republican) faces Democrat David Crout. Alcorn was unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary ^[25]. District 2 covers Clinton, Madison and Washington townships and several Greencastle precincts ^[22].
• No Democrats ran for county council in the May 5, 2026 primary ^[42]. A Banner Graphic column the next day said the party hoped to fill the vacancies in the coming weeks ^[43]. The Democratic nominees now appear on the state's general-election candidate list ^[10] and on the county Democratic Party's 2026 ballot page ^[44].
• Putnam County (county seat: Greencastle) has a seven-member county council: four members elected by district and three elected at large. The council approves budgets, sets salaries and tax rates and appropriates county funds ^{[24, 22]}. The four district seats are on the 2026 ballot; the at-large seats were last filled in 2024 ^[45].
• Current members are President Stephanie Campbell, Vice President Jay Alcorn, Danny Wallace, Wayne Huffman, Brian Berry, Amanda Brown and Kerry Williams ^[24].
• The biggest council decision of 2025–2026 was the courthouse annex. After a 3-3 vote in December 2025 stalled the project, the council voted 5-2 on Jan. 20, 2026 to declare a need for it (Huffman and Brown voted no) ^{[34, 46, 35]}. On April 21, 2026 the council unanimously chose a 20-year general obligation bond of $12,025,000 for the $15.8 million project, with the option to refinance or pay it off after 10 years. The county's adviser said the council's goal was to pay for the bonds from existing revenue rather than a new property tax ^{[39, 37]}. Ground was broken in June 2026, with completion expected in August–October 2027 ^[47].
• The 2025 state property-tax law (Senate Bill 1) is a recurring concern. In March 2026 Council President Campbell said, "The state is forcing us to increase income tax with SB 1 to do everything and we're already at a shortfall" ^[36]. Council members have also said its effects remain uncertain ^{[30, 48]}.
• Roads and bridges are a long-running funding issue. In June 2024 the council unanimously raised the wheel tax and vehicle excise surtax to their maximum rates, which was expected to add about $1.3 million a year for roads and bridges ^[28]. In June 2025 it voted 4-2 to give $600,000 in one-time interest money to bridge work ^[30], and in March 2026 it approved $1,000,000 from the EDIT war chest for the highway department ^[38]. At an Oct. 1, 2026 forum, Commissioner Rick Woodall said the county has 220 bridges and is No. 1 in the state for the worst bridge conditions ^[49].
• Other 2026 budget issues include 911 staffing and an E911 radio-tower contract of about $1 million ^{[38, 39, 50]}, aging jail plumbing ^[51], a sheriff's request for four more jail deputies in the 2027 budget ^{[40, 52]}, and a study of a countywide fire district ^[53]. At the August 2026 budget hearings the council approved 3% raises for elected officials. Minutes also record that the highway budget is fine for 2027 but "in 2028 the current budget will not be sustainable" ^[52].
• The Greencastle League of Women Voters, WGRE 91.5 FM and the Banner Graphic invited both candidates to an Oct. 7, 2026 forum at DePauw University ^[54]. No written report of that forum was found.
• Key differences: Alcorn has a five-year voting record, including support for the annex and bridge funding and opposition to some tax abatements. Crout's stated priorities, from a brief party description, are representing local concerns and protecting land; no specific county proposals from him were found ^[44].

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• Incumbent Jay Alcorn (Republican) faces Democrat David Crout. Alcorn was unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary. District 2 covers Clinton, Madison and Washington townships and several Greencastle precincts. (Banner Graphic)
• Putnam County government adopted a $34.9 million budget for 2026, about $922 per resident; that is +32.0% 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 -9.0% versus prior law once fully in effect (2028, since delayed to 2029 by HEA 1210). (Indiana Legislative Services Agency)

Sources