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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Tippecanoe County Council, District 1

Voted on across Tippecanoe County, in district 1.

Find your exact ballotAll Tippecanoe County races

Who votes on this seat: Only voters who live in District 1 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].

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].

Tippecanoe 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

$167,745

0.1% of the county's adopted 2026 budget · 56% more than 2019, before inflation

2019: $107,5472020: $110,2122021: $109,2122022: $143,6012023: $147,9122024: $155,3142025: $163,0812026: $167,745
2019 $107,5472026 $167,745
The year-by-year figures

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

  • 2019: $107,547
  • 2020: $110,212
  • 2021: $109,212
  • 2022: $143,601
  • 2023: $147,912
  • 2024: $155,314
  • 2025: $163,081
  • 2026: $167,745

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)

$155,666

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: $-4,182,500 (LSA)
  • MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): none found
  • wheel tax: none found
  • fiscal consultant named in records: FSG

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

101 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 10 of 10 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Share of the 2025 General Fund budget spent · 2025

98.3%

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 9 of 11 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

County debt per resident · 2025

$62.53

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 10 of 11 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Budget growth, 2023 to 2026 · 2023-2026

+24.8%

Adopted budget, all funds, not adjusted for inflation.

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

Position 5 of 10 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

SEA 1 estimate for 2028 · 2028 (LSA estimate)

-8.1%

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 3 of 10 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source

Property tax cap credits · 2026

6.1%

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 10 of 11 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Local income tax share of county revenue · 2026

40.6%

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 4 of 10 counties with 150,000 or more residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Meeting minutes online · 2026-10

Posted as scanned images

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

  • The Tippecanoe County Council is the county's seven-member fiscal body; four members are elected by district and only voters in District 1 will see this race [22].
  • Both candidates were unopposed in the May 5, 2026 primaries: Murray received 1,866 Democratic votes and Trent W. Richter 1,405 Republican votes [32].
  • Budget pressures: a January 2026 analysis for a joint commissioners-council meeting projected that under SEA 1 the county's current LIT structure (1.28% in 2026) would be replaced in 2028 by a county services rate, a fire and EMS rate and a non-municipal rate, with the council able to set the county services rate between 0.5% and 1.2% [33].
  • Juvenile detention: county plans for a 24-bed juvenile center next to Cary Home were dropped in early 2025, with a site near the jail estimated at about $22 million [34]. In 2026 the council took up a 0.1% correctional facilities LIT aimed at that center and jail needs; it passed 7-0 on first reading in August, with a final vote set for Sept. 8 [30, 31].
  • Public safety LIT: Wabash Township has repeatedly asked for a share of the countywide public safety income tax; the council declined in July 2025 (4-2) and August 2026 (5-2) [24, 30].
  • Both candidates named public safety and county employee pay among their priorities in an April 2026 Based in Lafayette questionnaire; Murray stressed budget reductions and a 5% employee raise goal, while Richter stressed ambulance service and putting LIT reserves to use [22].
  • No general-election forum for this race was found in sources reviewed.

Who holds this seat now

Benjamin R. Murray (Democratic) — on this ballot, standing again.

Murray's record in the job

  • Jan. 2019: Took office as the District 1 council member [22].
  • July 8, 2025: Voted with the 4-2 majority against advancing Wabash Township's $600,000 request for a share of the countywide public safety local income tax (LIT) for fire department radios and air packs. Murray had asked why the township bought an ambulance when Tippecanoe Emergency Ambulance Service covered the area, and said "hard decisions have to be made... And here you are asking for more" [24].
  • Sept. 9, 2025: Moved final adoption of the 2026 county budget, salary ordinance and related budgets; each passed 7-0 on roll call. The auditor said the result left slightly less than the $3 million cash gap settled during budget hearings [25].
  • 2026 budget book: Murray is listed as a council liaison for departments including the Sheriff and jail, Community Corrections, Cary Home for Children, Juvenile Alternatives, the Coroner, Emergency Management, CASA and the Health Department [26].
  • Oct. 14, 2025: Seconded or moved routine highway appropriations including $890,000 for the Wea School Road pavement project and bridge engineering funds; all carried [27].
  • June 9, 2026: Moved Ordinance 2026-13-CL, using tax-increment financing revenue for a $500,000 forgivable loan tied to Sustainea's planned $300 million project and 191 jobs; all six members present voted yes on the recorded roll call. He also moved a resolution creating an innkeeper-tax grants committee and approval of several tax-abatement compliance filings [28].
  • July 14, 2026: Moved a $250,000 appropriation for jail inmate medical costs and other sheriff, community corrections and juvenile alternatives requests, all approved; at a hearing on Wabash Township's new $750,000 LIT request he asked whether costs would pass to taxpayers if funding were denied [29].
  • Aug. 11, 2026: Voted no on Wabash Township's LIT distribution request, which failed 5-2. He moved Ordinance 2026-14-CL, a local income tax change for correctional and rehabilitation facilities, which passed 7-0 on first reading, and moved a conduit economic development bond ordinance for the Reserve at Millbrook project (7-0, first reading) [30].
  • Sept. 2026: At a public hearing on the proposed 0.1% correctional facilities LIT (about $6.3 million a year starting 2027, aimed at a juvenile detention center and jail maintenance or expansion), Murray said "Putting money aside now so it's not a huge hit to the taxpayers later down the road" [31].

Candidates on the ballot

Benjamin R. Murray

DemocraticIncumbent

Democratic incumbent since 2019 and an administrator with the Lafayette School Corp. [22]. He says his priorities are balancing the budget under SEA 1 while working toward raises for county employees, and funding a juvenile detention facility [22].

Murray's background

  • Administrator with the Lafayette School Corp.; former math teacher and coach at the district [22, 23].
  • B.A. from DePauw University and M.S. in educational administration from Purdue University [22].
  • Board member of CityBus, the Greater Lafayette Police Foundation and Tippecanoe Environmental Financing; advisory boards for Tippecanoe County Community Corrections and Cary Home [22].

Murray's positions

Budget & taxes

  • Says the top priority is balancing the budget under future funding limits by reducing expenses and looking at revenue sources beyond property taxes [22].
  • Supports setting aside correctional facilities LIT revenue now to avoid a larger cost to taxpayers later [31].

Property taxes & SEA 1

  • Says the council must work with departments to cut budgets, review whether vacant positions are needed, and look at rising software costs; says the council began leaving positions unfunded in 2025 [22].

County services & staffing

  • Names employee salaries as underfunded and sets a goal of a 5% raise for all county employees, paid for by reducing other expenses [22].

Public safety & jail

  • Wants to find a way to build a juvenile detention facility, citing about $1 million spent in 2025 to house juveniles elsewhere, and says funding both construction and operations requires work with stakeholders [22].
  • Says growth from new housing requires capacity in public safety and infrastructure [22].

How Murray would run the office

  • Continue budget reductions begun in 2025 and work toward a 5% county employee raise [22].
  • Pursue funding for a juvenile detention center [22].

Murray on the current officeholder

  • Is the current officeholder. Asked what separates him from his opponent, he cited his seven years on the council, his knowledge of county operations and his relationships with decision makers [22].

How Murray got on the ballot

  • Unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary, receiving 1,866 votes [32].

What we could not find about Murray

  • No campaign website found; the candidate listed a Facebook page, which could not be reviewed for this profile.
  • No endorsements or campaign-finance reports reviewed.
  • Council minutes from January through May 2026 and coverage of the Sept. 8, 2026 final LIT vote could not be reviewed for this profile.

Sources for Murray

Trent W. Richter

Republican

Republican challenger, a City of Lafayette firefighter and president of Lafayette Professional Firefighters Local 472 [22]. He says public safety, especially ambulance service, is his top priority [22].

Richter's background

  • Firefighter with the City of Lafayette; president of Lafayette Professional Firefighters Local 472 for the past 10 years and a trustee of the Professional Firefighters Union of Indiana since 2024 [22].
  • Associate degree in business management from Ivy Tech; former owner of a mowing business; former treasurer of the East Tipp Summer Rec board [22].
  • Has not held elected office; says he has lived and worked in District 1 for more than 25 years [22].

Richter's positions

Public safety & jail

  • Says ambulance service needs immediate attention, citing waits of more than 10 minutes, use of outside agencies and past out-of-network billing problems; says he would consider other ways to provide the service, including fire-based EMS [22].
  • Supports finding better ways to handle non-emergency 911 calls [22].

Property taxes & SEA 1

  • Says the county should not hold LIT revenue in reserve for future use and should fund needed projects now [22].
  • If cuts are needed, would start with duplicate services and look at consolidation and partnerships [22].

County services & staffing

  • Names hiring and keeping employees as his second priority and says restructured pay scales can improve retention and save money [22].

Economic development

  • Says attracting higher-paying jobs and businesses is needed to keep the tax base that pays for current services [22].

How Richter would run the office

  • Address ambulance response and billing issues [22].
  • Put LIT revenue to use on current projects rather than reserves [22].
  • Review duplicate services for consolidation [22].

Richter on the current officeholder

  • Said he does not know his opponent and would not list differences; said he cannot recall a District 1 council member meeting him at home or at the fire station, and pledged to reach out to residents [22].

How Richter got on the ballot

  • Unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary, receiving 1,405 votes [32].
  • Says he chose the council race because as a city firefighter he cannot serve as a township trustee or board member where the township contracts with the city for fire protection [22].

What we could not find about Richter

  • Campaign Facebook page could not be reviewed for this profile; no campaign website found.
  • No endorsements or campaign-finance reports reviewed.
  • No news coverage of his campaign beyond the April 2026 questionnaire was found; coverage is thin.

Sources for Richter

Key points

  • Juvenile detention: county plans for a 24-bed juvenile center next to Cary Home were dropped in early 2025, with a site near the jail estimated at about $22 million. (Based in Lafayette)
  • Tippecanoe County government adopted a $119.6 million budget for 2026, about $628 per resident; that is +24.8% 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 -8.1% 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

  1. Indiana Code 36-2-3-2: County council as fiscal body; size (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  2. Indiana Code 36-2-5-2: Tax rates and appropriations (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  3. Indiana Code 36-2-5-3: Compensation of officers and employees (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  4. Indiana Code 36-2-3-4: Council districts and at-large members (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  5. Commissioners Responsibilities (Boone County, Indiana)
  6. About the County Council (Hancock County, Indiana)
  7. Indiana Code 36-2-3-1: Application of chapter (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  8. County Government Overview: Indiana (National Association of Counties (NACo))
  9. Indiana Code 36-2-3-3: Election and term of fiscal body (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  10. 2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
  11. Monroe County voters put three incumbent Democrats back on county council (The B Square Bulletin (Dave Askins))
  12. Indiana Code 3-8-1-22: Candidates for county council (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  13. 2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (Indiana Election Division)
  14. Indiana Code 36-2-5-11: Annual budget, tax rate and salary ordinances (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  15. Indiana Code 36-2-2-5: Qualifications and residency of members; district or countywide election (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  16. Major Changes to Expenditure Rate of LIT in SEA 1 (2025) (Barnes & Thornburg LLP)
  17. Legislation Affecting Local Income Taxes (memorandum on HEA 1210-2026) (Indiana Department of Local Government Finance)
  18. County Specific Information (Indiana Department of Local Government Finance)
  19. Indiana Code 36-2-2-4: Commissioner districts (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  20. Gov. Mike Braun signs 'historic' property tax relief bill into law, critics call it a 'lose-lose' (Indiana Public Media (Brandon Smith))
  21. Delay in local income tax changes sets up more legislative debate next year (Indiana Capital Chronicle via Indiana Public Media (Tom Davies))
  22. Primary 2026 candidate Q&A: Tippecanoe County Council (Based in Lafayette)
  23. 2026 candidate filings: Who's running and why (Based in Lafayette)
  24. Wabash Township turned away in request for a cut of countywide public safety income tax (Based in Lafayette)
  25. Tippecanoe County Council meeting minutes, Sept. 9, 2025 (Tippecanoe County Council)
  26. 2026 Budget Book (budget hearings, Aug. 26, 2025) (Tippecanoe County Council)
  27. Tippecanoe County Council meeting minutes, Oct. 14, 2025 (Tippecanoe County Council)
  28. Tippecanoe County Council meeting minutes, June 9, 2026 (Tippecanoe County Council)
  29. Tippecanoe County Council meeting minutes, July 14, 2026 (Tippecanoe County Council)
  30. Tippecanoe County Council meeting minutes, Aug. 11, 2026 (Tippecanoe County Council)
  31. New local income tax, aimed for juvenile center, one vote way (Based in Lafayette)
  32. 2026 Certified Primary Election Results Summary (Tippecanoe County)
  33. Joint Special Meeting, Board of Commissioners and County Council: Income Tax Analysis (FSG) (Tippecanoe County)
  34. Juvenile detention center plan scrapped next to Cary Home (Based in Lafayette)
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.