Switzerland County Council, District 4

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]

Switzerland 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 county's council has no budget lines of its own (department 0061); council pay is probably budgeted under the commissioners or another department.

Also on the record for this office

• SEA 1 estimated county-unit revenue change in 2028 vs prior law: $-167,290 (LSA)
• MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): discussed
• 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

• The Switzerland County Council has seven members: three elected at large and four by district. District 1 covers Jefferson 1 and 2 precincts; District 2 covers Jefferson 3, York and Posey 1; District 3 covers Craig 1 and 2 and Pleasant 1 and 2; District 4 covers Cotton 1 and 2 and Posey 2 ^[22]. In the May 2026 primary, district council races were tallied only in each district's precincts (two precincts for District 1, three each for Districts 2 and 4), which indicates district seats are chosen by that district's voters ^[23]. The council meets on the second Wednesday of each month ^[33].
• All four district seats were on the 2026 ballot. The council members holding Districts 1, 2 and 4 (Mat Dutkiewicz, Patti Kappes and Todd Chase, all Republicans with terms ending in 2026) did not appear on the May 5, 2026 primary ballot, so each of these seats will have a new member in 2027 ^{[22, 23]}.
• 2026 budget: the council advertised a county budget of $11,970,799 in September 2025 ^[34]. On Oct. 14, 2025, members discussed a Baker Tilly review showing the general fund could support the 2026 budget but would leave reserves at 21% instead of the 15% the firm recommends; the council voted 4-3 to require general-fund departments to cut 3.2% from their 2026 requests ^[24]. On Oct. 21 it voted 4-3 for no raises in the general fund and 5-2 to cover the remaining gap from general-fund cash ^[27]. The budget was adopted 5-2 on Nov. 3, 2025, after the clerk's chief deputy and the highway clerk questioned how raises had been handled ^[25].
• Casino revenue: in November 2025 the council heard about a decrease in casino revenue and its effect on the county ^[35]. In January 2026 the commissioners set 2026 casino-revenue distributions on an estimate of $5 million, compared with $6.3 million the year before ^[36]. At an Aug. 7, 2026 joint meeting, Commissioner Ryan Harrison reported that Boyd Gaming had said Sept. 8 would be the last operating day of the Ogle Haus at Belterra and that it would be demolished ^[37].
• SEA 1, the wheel tax and capital funds: in February 2026, after a Baker Tilly presentation on SEA 1's reduction of county property-tax revenue, the council asked the firm to update the county's fiscal sustainability plan and voted to raise the Cumulative Capital Development (CCD) rate, pending commissioners' approval, which the commissioners gave unanimously ^{[38, 30]}. After split votes in May, the council in June 2026 agreed on a $35 excise surtax and $50 wheel tax ^{[31, 32]}; at the July 8 hearing, council president Scott Crandell projected about $430,000 a year for the highway department ^[39]. The ordinance was adopted without dissent on Aug. 12, 2026, to take effect in 2027 ^[40]. In July 2026 Baker Tilly also discussed the county's use of general-fund cash reserves and the new local income tax structure taking effect in 2030 ^[41].
• Public safety: in February and March 2026 Sheriff Brian Morton described an agreement to house Ohio County inmates for about $250,000 a year, part of which would fund raises for jail, communications and deputy staff; the commissioners approved the agreement and the council approved a revised salary ordinance 6-1 ^{[38, 42, 30]}. In May 2026 the council voted 4-2 to spend $200,000 from the CCD fund on a new ambulance for Switzerland County Emergency Response ^[31].
• Assessments: in June 2026 Assessor Stacey Mathews told the council the state had raised cost tables 35% across the board and that the county lacks the resources to create its own tables ^[32]. The council set department-head budget meetings for 2027 to begin Sept. 1, 2026 ^[40].
• No candidate forums, debates or local news coverage of the 2026 council races were found.

Candidates on the ballot

Key points

• 2026 budget: the council advertised a county budget of $11,970,799 in September 2025. (Switzerland County Government)
• Switzerland County government adopted a $11.5 million budget for 2026, about $1,148 per resident; that is -22.6% 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 -4.5% versus prior law once fully in effect (2028, since delayed to 2029 by HEA 1210). (Indiana Legislative Services Agency)

Sources