St. Joseph County Council, District B

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].

St. Joseph 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: $-12,232,880 (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

• District B is one of nine single-member council districts ^[25]. Incumbent Amy Drake (Republican) faces Democrat Ranjan Rohatgi, a Saint Mary's College math professor ^{[23, 30]}.
• May 5, 2026 Republican primary: Drake 884 (56.1%), Matthew Clayton 691 (43.9%) ^[31]. After winning, Drake said a group aligned with her challenger spent heavily against her, which she linked to data center interests ^[23].
• The St. Joseph County Council has nine members ^[25]. Republicans won a 5-4 majority in the 2022 elections ^{[25, 22]}. In January 2025 the four Democrats joined Republican Dan Schaetzle to elect him president 5-4 over Republican Randy Figg; Republicans Amy Drake, Randy Figg, Joe Thomas and Andy Rutten issued a joint statement calling on him to leave the party, and Schaetzle said he would keep working with both parties ^[25]. In January 2026 the council elected Democrat Bryan Tanner president 6-3, with Republicans Figg and Rutten supporting him ^[32].
• Budget: the council passed the 2026 budget on October 14, 2025; WNDU reported that the state's Senate Enrolled Act 1 property-tax cuts made the work difficult ^[33]. The council began 2027 budget hearings on July 20, 2026; President Tanner said the budget centers on infrastructure, public safety and parks, that the county would not spend more than it expects to receive, and that the county has cut its property tax rate about 14% over five years ^[34].
• Data centers have been the leading county issue in 2026. The council previously approved rezoning for Amazon (near New Carlisle) and Microsoft (Granger) data centers ^{[26, 35]}, and on December 9, 2025 rejected a third data center rezoning near New Carlisle 7-2 ^[36]. On September 22, 2026 the council voted 6-3 for a resolution, sponsored by Republicans Drake, Thomas, Figg and Rutten, directing the Area Plan Commission to draft zoning changes that would ban new hyperscale data centers in unincorporated areas; it does not itself enact a ban. Democrats Diana Hess and Mark Catanzarite and Republican Dan Schaetzle voted no ^{[29, 28, 35]}.
• A proposed expansion of the AM General tax increment financing (TIF) district to include the Microsoft site, with up to $4 million in bonds for projects such as a Douglas Road rail overpass and water and sewer work, was scheduled for a council vote on September 22, 2026 ^{[37, 38]}. The outcome was not found in available coverage.
• Portage Manor, the former county home: the council voted 5-4 in June 2023 to close it ^[24]; in November 2025 it voted 6-3 for a resolution asking commissioners to bring proposals to reopen or preserve it ^[39]; and in May 2026 it allowed commissioners to seek proposals for the property while requiring council approval of any sale ^[40].
• Rohatgi's campaign says he has called for a data center ban, and he appeared at an August 2026 press conference where Democratic Councilwoman Jenn Shabazz announced support for a ban; Drake co-sponsored the Republican ban resolution, so both nominees have backed a ban ^{[41, 42, 28]}.
• Rohatgi's campaign lists a September 23, 2026 Meet the Candidates Night hosted by IU South Bend's American Democracy Project, the League of Women Voters and the St. Joseph County Public Library ^[41]; no report of what the District B candidates said there was found.

Who holds this seat now

Amy Marie Drake (Republican) — on this ballot, standing again.

Drake's record in the job

• November 2022: Led Democratic incumbent Corey Noland by 35 votes with all precincts reporting ^[22].
• June 2023: After the council's 5-4 vote to close Portage Manor, said, "I'm just hopeful that people feel like a decision is made" ^[24].
• January 2025: Joined Republicans Figg, Thomas and Rutten in a statement criticizing Dan Schaetzle's election as council president with Democratic votes ^[25].
• Voted against tax breaks for Amazon's data center near New Carlisle, saying the county was too generous; in February 2026 said Microsoft had agreed not to seek a property tax abatement for its Granger data center, and was undecided on a TIF district there ^[26].
• August 2026: Backed a proposed two-year pause on new data centers, saying, "We have a lot of people super worried about when the next one's coming" ^[27]; then co-sponsored the resolution directing a zoning ban on new hyperscale data centers, which passed 6-3 on September 22 ^{[28, 29]}.

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• Budget: the council passed the 2026 budget on October 14, 2025; WNDU reported that the state's Senate Enrolled Act 1 property-tax cuts made the work difficult. (WNDU)
• St. Joseph County government adopted a $218.5 million budget for 2026, about $801 per resident; that is +18.2% 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 -14.5% versus prior law once fully in effect (2028, since delayed to 2029 by HEA 1210). (Indiana Legislative Services Agency)

Sources