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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Vanderburgh County Council, District 4

Voted on across Vanderburgh County, in district 4.

Find your exact ballotAll Vanderburgh County races

Who votes on this seat: Only voters who live in District 4 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].

Vanderburgh 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

$22,634,175

16.2% of the county's adopted 2026 budget · 49% more than 2019, before inflation

2019: $15,159,9002020: $16,250,4492021: $16,682,7252022: $18,441,3642023: $19,685,9202024: $20,602,2772025: $21,656,0242026: $22,634,175
2019 $15,159,9002026 $22,634,175
The year-by-year figures

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

  • 2019: $15,159,900
  • 2020: $16,250,449
  • 2021: $16,682,725
  • 2022: $18,441,364
  • 2023: $19,685,920
  • 2024: $20,602,277
  • 2025: $21,656,024
  • 2026: $22,634,175

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)

$179,592

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: $-5,293,310 (LSA)
  • MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): named reps
  • 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

174 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 6 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

99.8%

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

source · source

County debt per resident · 2025

$145

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 8 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

+25.4%

Adopted budget, all funds, not adjusted for inflation.

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

Position 4 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)

-7.8%

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

source

Property tax cap credits · 2026

17.2%

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 2 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

29.7%

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 7 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 text

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

  • Montrastelle is seeking reelection; Democrat Jason Jett is challenging him [23]. Both were unopposed in their May 5, 2026 primaries [29].
  • The council has seven members: four elected by district and three at large. Members listed by the county are James Raben (District 1, finance chair), Tom Shetler Jr. (District 2), Nick Iaccarino (District 3), John Montrastelle (District 4, president), and at-large members Ed Bassemier, Joe M. Kiefer II (personnel chair) and Jill Anne Hahn (vice president) [22]. In January 2026 Jett noted that six of the seven members are Republicans [23].
  • Budget and jail: the council adopted a 2026 budget with 3% raises for full-time employees in October 2025 [25], and its 2026 agendas again included the ordinance suspending county hiring and setting procedures to fill vacancies [30]. In 2026 the council approved new confinement officer positions in stages for the jail expansion [28]. At the September 24, 2026 United Neighborhoods of Evansville forum, Montrastelle said the state's Senate Enrolled Act 1 has tightened the budget [31]. The council's 2027 budget adoption meeting was held October 7, 2026, but minutes were not yet posted.
  • Data centers: in August 2026 the county Area Plan Commission recommended, and on August 25 the county commissioners unanimously adopted, an ordinance creating a Data Center Research Committee and pausing data center permits through 2026; no data center projects were proposed in the county [32, 33]. The commissioners appointed 13 residents to the committee [33].
  • Both candidates spoke at the United Neighborhoods of Evansville candidate forum on September 24, 2026 [31]. Montrastelle focused on the jail expansion, prosecutor staffing and budget restraint; Jett focused on data centers [31].

Who holds this seat now

John Montrastelle (Republican) — on this ballot, standing again.

Montrastelle's record in the job

  • January 8, 2025: Nominated Tom Shetler for council president and was elected vice president 7-0. Seconded the annual ordinance suspending county hiring and setting procedures to fill vacancies, which passed 7-0. Councilmember Raben noted that the ordinance does not apply the same rules to public-safety hiring, such as the jail and sheriff [24].
  • October 8, 2025 (2026 budget adoption): The council voted 7-0 to adopt the 2026 salary ordinance with a 3% raise for full-time county employees and to approve all 2026 budgets. Montrastelle seconded the motions approving budget changes, a $21,506,007 employee health insurance budget, and setting the county tax rate at the level the state Department of Local Government Finance finds appropriate [25].
  • November 5, 2025: Asked economic development staff how a company's job numbers were scored before voting yes on a seven-year property tax phase-in (preliminary resolution CO.R-11-25-006), which passed 7-0 [26].
  • January 2026: Elected council president for 2026, according to his own statement to WNIN; the county lists him as president [23, 22].
  • April 1, 2026: As president, led the vote on a confirming resolution (CO.R-04-26-009) for a property tax phase-in for Scannell Properties and TaylorMade Golf at 6700 Petersburg Road. The county's economic development partner described the project as $60 million in investment, 160 jobs retained and 45 new jobs. Montrastelle said the council wanted neighbors' concerns addressed before granting a phase-in, and that the phase-in depended on a memorandum of agreement the commissioners would vote on. The resolution passed 7-0 [27].
  • July 1, 2026: Asked the health department whether it could help cover inmate health care, citing the sheriff's request for $300,000 in jail medical funding. The same day the council approved a first group of new jail confinement officer and sergeant positions paid from public-safety local income tax and held off on the rest of the 22 requested officer positions until later in the year. The sheriff said he was fine with either approach [28].

Candidates on the ballot

Jason Jett

Democratic

Democratic challenger, financial advisor and small business operator. He says the county should not give data centers more tax breaks and should expand programs such as sheriff's deputy pay [23, 31].

Jett's background

  • Lifelong Evansville resident; WNIN described him as a career small business operator and financial advisor [23].
  • Has not held elected office; WNIN called him a newcomer [23].

Jett's positions

Data centers & energy projects

  • Called data centers a mixed opportunity. He said that if one came to the county, it should not pollute or overuse water, should not raise energy costs and should bring in revenue [31].
  • "We do not need to be throwing any tax breaks at these data centers. I have been clear on my platform that we are not throwing more tax breaks towards data centers, and I also will not be signing an NDA on data centers" [31].

Budget & taxes

  • Said the county budget "seems like things are a bit threadbare" and that he would like the county to "come from a position of strength" and expand current programs [23].

Public safety & jail

  • Said the sheriff's office needs more for its deputies than the county now provides; WNIN reported he would like to see sheriff's deputy pay expanded [23].

How Jett would run the office

  • Expand county programs, including support for sheriff's deputies, along with building and recreation projects [23]; give no further tax breaks to data centers and sign no data center nondisclosure agreements [31].

Jett on the current officeholder

  • Did not address Montrastelle by name in coverage reviewed. He said that because six of seven council members are Republicans, the council faces less challenge, and that more Democrats would "challenge the status quo" [23].

How Jett got on the ballot

  • Filed his candidacy on January 7, 2026 [23]. Unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary [29].

What we could not find about Jett

  • No campaign website was found.
  • Details of his business and financial-advisory work (firm names, years) were not found.
  • His positions on the jail expansion, roads, SEA 1 and tax abatements other than for data centers were not found.
  • Campaign finance reports were not reviewed.
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.

Sources for Jett

John Montrastelle

RepublicanIncumbent

Republican incumbent and council president, an Anchor Industries manager, campaigning on public safety, roads and budget restraint [23, 31].

Montrastelle's background

  • Has worked at Anchor Industries for 29 years, where he manages the government side of the business, according to his January 2026 interview with WNIN [23].
  • Served four years on the Convention and Visitors Bureau board, three as its president; he credits that board with building the Deaconess sports complex, which opened in 2014 [23].
  • Has served on the county council for 11 years and is council president [23, 22].

Montrastelle's positions

Budget & taxes

  • "That's our job. We have to do well with our budgets. We live within our budgets. In fact, in the last 12 years, we've saved $57 million in reduced spending, all while providing essential services we all come to expect" [31].
  • Said party affiliation does not decide his votes: "I always weigh the issues, look at the merits, and I always ask myself, 'is that the best use of taxpayer funds, and is that what the community wants?'" [23].

Property taxes & SEA 1

  • Said that although Senate Enrolled Act 1 has tightened the budget, he is confident the council will continue to handle it well [31].

Public safety & jail

  • Named public safety as a priority he wants to keep funding [23]. At the September 2026 forum he spoke about the new jail expansion and the need for more prosecutors [31].
  • In July 2026 asked the health department whether its staff could help cover inmate health care costs [28].

Roads & infrastructure

  • Named quality roads as a long-standing priority [23].

Economic development

  • Voted for property tax phase-ins in November 2025 and April 2026. In April 2026 he said the council wanted neighbors' concerns addressed before granting the TaylorMade/Scannell phase-in [26, 27].

How Montrastelle would run the office

  • Continue funding public safety and roads and push department heads to spend money wisely [23].

Montrastelle on the current officeholder

  • Is the current officeholder. No statements about his challenger were found.

How Montrastelle got on the ballot

  • Filed his candidacy on January 9, 2026 [23]. Unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Republican primary [29].

What we could not find about Montrastelle

  • No campaign website was found.
  • His position on data centers was not found.
  • The year he first joined the council (about 2015 by his account) and how he joined were not confirmed.
  • Minutes of the October 7, 2026 adoption of the 2027 budget were not yet posted.
  • Campaign finance reports were not reviewed.
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.

Sources for Montrastelle

Key points

  • Budget and jail: the council adopted a 2026 budget with 3% raises for full-time employees in October 2025, and its 2026 agendas again included the ordinance suspending county hiring and setting procedures to fill vacancies. (Vanderburgh County Council)
  • Vanderburgh County government adopted a $139.6 million budget for 2026, about $767 per resident; that is +25.4% 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 -7.8% 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. Council Members (Vanderburgh County)
  23. Election 2026: Vanderburgh County Council, District 4 — a Democratic challenger (WNIN)
  24. Vanderburgh County Council Meeting Minutes, January 8, 2025 (Vanderburgh County Council)
  25. Vanderburgh County Council Budget Adoption Meeting Minutes, October 8, 2025 (Vanderburgh County Council)
  26. Vanderburgh County Council Meeting Minutes, November 5, 2025 (Vanderburgh County Council)
  27. Vanderburgh County Council Meeting Minutes, April 1, 2026 (Vanderburgh County Council)
  28. Vanderburgh County Council Meeting Minutes, July 1, 2026 (Vanderburgh County Council)
  29. Voters' Guide to the 2026 Primary Election (Evansville Living)
  30. Vanderburgh County Council Meeting Agenda, January 7, 2026 (Vanderburgh County Council)
  31. Evansville residents ask questions to November's election candidates (WFIE 14 News)
  32. Vanderburgh APC passes Data Center ordinance with shorter permit pause (WNIN)
  33. Vanderburgh chooses 13 residents for new Data Center Research Committee (WNIN)
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.