Besides a tax increase question for Center Grove residents, which is still being decided, the fall ballot is set.
Fifteen races are slated for fall, when voters who live in cities or towns will have a chance to determine who should have a hand in making the local decisions that affect them the most.
Contested races have taken shape in all cities and towns except New Whiteland, same as during the primary election.
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Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers and Franklin Mayor Steve Barnett do not face any opposition, and will continue as the top leaders of the county’s two largest cities for another four years.
Nine independent candidates filed the necessary paperwork with the county clerk’s office to be placed on a ballot, said Reagan Higdon, first deputy clerk.
Edinburgh, which didn’t have any candidates for some seats during the May primary, including for clerk-treasurer, now has three candidates competing for that position.
Zachary Pendleton and Scott Finley, both independents, filed for the clerk-treasurer position late last week.
Independent Matthew (Tim) Brown will compete against Republican David A. Hawkins for the Ward 1 seat on Whiteland’s Town Council.
Two last-minute caucuses were conducted this weekend to slate two candidates for positions in Edinburgh and Whiteland.
Four precinct committeemen voted unanimously to slate Leah Futrell for Edinburgh clerk-treasurer, said Beth Boyce, Johnson County Republican Party chairwoman.
Three precinct committeeman voted unanimously to slate Mark Eccles for an at-large seat in Whiteland, said Kathy Stolz, vice-chair of the Johnson County Democratic Party.
Eccles initially decided to run in the primary election for the Ward 2 seat. He withdrew from that position, and the party decided instead to slate him for an at-large seat that is not contested.
The county and state are still deciding whether to place the latest in a string of school referendums on the fall ballot, this time for Center Grove Schools.
The state Department of Local Government Finance, Johnson County Election Board and Johnson County auditor all have to sign off on the public question for it to be placed on the ballot in White River Township. Some voters who wouldn’t normally vote during a municipal election will be asked to if it clears those hurdles.
Voters will be asked if they want to raise their property taxes for increased security and mental health support in the county’s largest school system.
If voters pass the referendum, it will increase property taxes by 11.5 cents for every $100 of assessed value, which would bring in an additional $24.8 million over the course of eight years starting in 2020. It would cost the owner of a $200,000 home an additional $112 per year in property taxes.
If the Center Grove referendum question ends up on the November ballot, it will be the third time in a year a Johnson County school district has asked residents to raise their property taxes.
School referendums have seen success around the state and locally. Similar referendums in Clark-Pleasant and Franklin schools passed during the last two elections.
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Here is a look at the races that will be on the fall ballot:
Bargersville Town Council (3 seats)
Ruth Ann Moore (R)
Susie Qualls (R)
James Rummell (R)
Eric Arnold (D)
Susan Clare Diagana (D)
Dale W. Wright (D)
Edinburgh Clerk-Treasurer
Leah Futrell (R)
Zachary Pendleton (I)
Scott Finley (I)
Edinburgh Town Council (3 seats)
Miriam Rooks (R)
Dawn M. Graham (R)
Lewis A. Turner (R)
Jeff Simpson (I)
Jacqueline Oltman (I)
Prince’s Lakes Clerk-Treasurer
Erica Giger (R)
Rose Yates (I)
Trafalgar Clerk-Treasurer
Donna J. Moore (R)
Kimberly Rice (I)
Whiteland Town Council Ward 1
David A. Hawkins (R)
Matthew (Tim) Brown (I)
Whiteland Town Council At-Large
Scot Ford (R)
Mark Eccles (D)
Franklin City Council District 3
Drew Eggers (R)
Donald A. Smith (D)
Franklin City Council District 4
Ken Austin (R)
Zach Stevenson (I)
Franklin City Council At-Large (2 seats)
Bob Heuchan (R)
Shawn Taylor (R)
Erin Davis (I)
Greenwood City Council District 1
Linda Gibson (R)
Matthew Smith (D)
Greenwood City Council District 2
Ezra Hill (R)
Jason Boudi (D)
Greenwood City Council District 3
Michael Williams (R)
Terri Roberts-Leonard (D)
Greenwood City Council District 5
J. David Hopper (R)
Hunter L. Haskell (D)
Greenwood City Council District 6
Dave Lekse (R)
Kyle R. Swain (D)
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