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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Whitley County Council, District 2

Voted on across Whitley County, in district 2. Open seat: Kim Wheeler is not on the ballot.

Find your exact ballotAll Whitley County races

Who votes on this seat: Only voters who live in District 2 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].

Whitley 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

$110,879

0.3% of the county's adopted 2026 budget · 20% more than 2019, before inflation

2019: $92,1552020: $92,1552021: $02022: $103,5642023: $103,5712024: $107,6732025: $110,8792026: $110,879
2019 $92,1552026 $110,879
The year-by-year figures

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

  • 2019: $92,155
  • 2020: $92,155
  • 2021: $0
  • 2022: $103,564
  • 2023: $103,571
  • 2024: $107,673
  • 2025: $110,879
  • 2026: $110,879

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)

$110,879

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: $-1,020,800 (LSA)
  • MUST taskforce (LIT distribution talks): named reps
  • wheel tax: none found
  • 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.

General Fund cash, in days of spending · 2025

269 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 12 of 33 counties with 25,000 to 50,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Share of the 2025 General Fund budget spent · 2025

91.0%

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 28 of 33 counties with 25,000 to 50,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

County debt per resident · 2025

$109

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 15 of 27 counties with 25,000 to 50,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Budget growth, 2023 to 2026 · 2023-2026

+15.0%

Adopted budget, all funds, not adjusted for inflation.

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

Position 21 of 34 counties with 25,000 to 50,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

SEA 1 estimate for 2028 · 2028 (LSA estimate)

-10.3%

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 30 of 34 counties with 25,000 to 50,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source

Property tax cap credits · 2026

5.9%

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 22 of 34 counties with 25,000 to 50,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Local income tax share of county revenue · 2026

58.9%

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 3 of 34 counties with 25,000 to 50,000 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 Whitley County Council has seven members: four elected from districts and three at large, for four-year terms [22]. District 2 covers Etna-Troy and Thorncreek townships and Columbia precincts 3 and 5 [23]. The District 2 Republican primary drew 848 votes, compared with 2,718 in the countywide commissioner race, indicating district members are elected by district voters only [24].
  • Open seat: incumbent Kim Wheeler did not run. Four Republicans ran in the May 5, 2026 primary; the election-night summary with all 33 precincts reported shows Damien Stafford 233 (27.5%), Michael Bauer 229 (27.0%), Kiel Klopfenstein 207 (24.4%) and Scott Wise 179 (21.1%) [24]. No Democrat filed for the primary [24]; Stephanie Pierce appears as the Democratic nominee on the state's general-election list [10]. No forums or debates for the general election were found.
  • Turnover: in March 2026, council members noted that three and potentially four new members would join the council in 2027 [26]. The council adopted a second monthly evening meeting in April 2026 (4-3) and kept two meetings a month for 2027 (4-3) [29, 32].
  • County finances: at the Jan. 6, 2026 council meeting, the auditor reported about $1.4 million (9.3%) of the 2025 general fund went unspent, a general-fund balance just under $9 million, and a state-approved 2026 general-fund budget of $16.4 million against estimated revenue of $16.5 million [28]. In March 2026 the council voted 7-0 to move $3,128,000 from the general fund to the rainy-day fund, after moving $3,114,400 in 2025 [26].
  • SEA 1 and local income tax: in February 2026 the council put off a deputy prosecutor pay request to the budget process, citing the unknowns of SB1 [33]. In May 2026 the auditor said the way local income tax is distributed is changing; the council created a seat for its chair on a Municipal Unit Strategic Taskforce (MUST) with the towns and city, with a report due to the state in December, and hired Baker Tilly to assist (6-0) [34]. At a June 15 public-input session on the 2027 budget, department heads spoke about financial uncertainty from the SB1 changes [35].
  • Data centers: in February 2026 the county attorney told commissioners that Commissioner Schuman had asked about a moratorium covering data centers and battery projects, among other uses, noting that there was no current interest in such projects in the county [36]. After a Plan Commission listening session, the commissioners approved a one-year data-center moratorium on July 6, 2026 (3-0) and adopted Ordinance 2026-10 on Sept. 8 (3-0) [37, 38, 39].
  • Jail and public safety: by February 2026 the county had moved fully out of the old jail, and commissioners were seeking a second opinion on HVAC units at the new jail [33]. In 2026 the council approved a fourth sheriff's sergeant (from existing staff), two part-time security officers for the Government Center, and conversion of a part-time transport officer to full time [34, 40]. In September the council voted to direct $113,000 in Community Foundation health funds to the EMS contract payment [31].
  • Roads and drainage: the council and commissioners shifted 0.0443 per $100 of assessed value from the Cumulative Bridge levy to a new Cumulative Drain fund for 2027, which the county engineer said would not raise taxes [41, 42]. In September 2026 commissioners said the county had not received Community Crossings matching-grant funding for 2026 because of incomplete applications and hired a consultant to review the 2027 application [39].
  • 2027 budget and pay: the council held its budget hearing on Sept. 9, 2026 with no public comment [31]. It voted 4-3 in August to advertise raises of up to 5% and later approved a 2027 wage scale 7-0 [27, 32]. In August it left 2027 levies unchanged from 2026 [27].

Candidates on the ballot

Stephanie Pierce

Democratic

Democratic nominee for the open District 2 council seat on the state's general-election candidate list [10].

Pierce's background

  • Her BallotReady candidate profile lists her current field as medical implants, without naming an employer [43].

Pierce on the current officeholder

  • Open seat; no statements about the incumbent's record or the council's direction were found.

What we could not find about Pierce

  • No candidate website, questionnaire response, forum appearance or news coverage was found, so her positions could not be reviewed for this profile; her occupation comes only from a self-reported BallotReady profile.
  • How she was nominated after the primary (for example, by the party filling the ballot vacancy) was not confirmed.
  • No public comments by her were found in the 2026 council or commissioner minutes reviewed.
  • No Democratic candidate appeared for District 2 in the county's May 5, 2026 primary results [24]; she is listed as the Democratic nominee on the state's general-election list [10].
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.

Sources for Pierce

Damien Stafford

Republican

Republican nominee for the open District 2 council seat; he won a four-way primary by four votes on the election-night count. He says he is a veteran and lists low taxes and use of the new state tax law as priorities [24, 25].

Stafford's background

  • Describes himself as a veteran and refers to the Army's core values [25].
  • Says he became involved in local politics about six years ago, including on library-board and school-board matters [25].

Stafford's positions

Budget & taxes

  • 'Low taxes are needed, less spending where we can.' [25]
  • Wants to find ways 'to keep taxes low with climbing assessments, grocery bills going up, and utility costs going up' [25].

Property taxes & SEA 1

  • Lists as his key priority 'Focusing on the new tax law bill and utilizing it to make sense (“cents”) for the taxpayers' [25].

Public safety & jail

  • Says maintaining services to rural areas is the biggest challenge, citing fire protection as 'a good example that needs to be addressed' [25].

Zoning & land use

  • Suggests growth 'in the directions where those services are going to be needed' to help rural services; says he has always been an advocate for agriculture [25].

How Stafford would run the office

  • Says he would build working relationships with council members, commissioners and department staff as he does now, and that he has 'worked hard to build bridges' with those he disagreed with [25].

Stafford on the current officeholder

  • Open seat. He says 'we currently have a successful Whitley County' but that there are places the county can do better [25].

How Stafford got on the ballot

  • Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary with 233 votes (27.5%), four votes ahead of Michael Bauer (229), with Kiel Klopfenstein at 207 and Scott Wise at 179, on the county's election-night summary [24].

What we could not find about Stafford

  • His current occupation was not stated in any source reviewed.
  • Certified primary results were not reviewed; the figures come from the county's election-night summary, and whether the four-vote margin was recounted or changed in certification was not confirmed.
  • No campaign website or social-media page for him was found.
  • No public comments by him were found in the 2026 council or commissioner minutes reviewed.
  • A Feb. 2026 KPC News article on the council races could not be reviewed for this profile.
  • No endorsements or campaign finance reports were found.

Sources for Stafford

Key points

  • The Whitley County Council has seven members: four elected from districts and three at large, for four-year terms. District 2 covers Etna-Troy and Thorncreek townships and Columbia precincts 3 and 5. (Whitley County, Indiana)
  • Whitley County government adopted a $42.4 million budget for 2026, about $1,210 per resident; that is +15.0% 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 -10.3% 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. County Council (Whitley County, Indiana)
  20. Whitley County Elected Officials (updated 11/2025) (Whitley County, Indiana)
  21. 2026 Primary Election – Election Summary Report (7:14 p.m., all 33 precincts reported) (Whitley County, Indiana)
  22. Meet the Candidates – Primary Elections: Sheriff, County Commissioner, County Council – 2026 (Whitley County) (Indiana Farm Bureau)
  23. County Council meeting minutes, 2026-03-03 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  24. County Council meeting minutes, 2026-08-04 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  25. County Council meeting minutes, 2026-01-06 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  26. County Council meeting minutes, 2026-04-07 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  27. County Council meeting minutes, 2026-09-09 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  28. County Council meeting minutes, 2026-09-21 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  29. County Council meeting minutes, 2026-02-03 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  30. County Council meeting minutes, 2026-05-06 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  31. County Council meeting minutes, 2026-06-15 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  32. Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, 2026-02-02 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  33. Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, 2026-06-15 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  34. Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, 2026-07-06 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  35. Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, 2026-09-08 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  36. County Council meeting minutes, 2026-06-02 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  37. County Council meeting minutes, 2026-04-27 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  38. Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, 2026-07-20 (Whitley County, Indiana)
  39. Stephanie Pierce (candidate profile) (BallotReady)
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.