How individual council members voted on key spending and policy motions in 2026:
| Date | Motion / Issue | Outcome | District 2 / Key Roll Call Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03/17/2026 | Reduce Sheriff Maint. Budget by $15k (Flock Cameras) | FAILED (3-3) | YEA: Terry, Purvis, Retherford NAY: Henderson, Heron, Morgan |
| 04/21/2026 | Library Board Seat Appointment (Purvis vs. Henderson) | PURVIS (4-2) | PURVIS: Terry, Smith, Retherford, Purvis HENDERSON: Heron, Henderson |
| 01/20/2026 | Adopt 2026 County Salary Ordinance Amendments | PASSED | Moved by Henderson, Seconded by Terry |
* Full 2025 historical vote records currently being compiled from Auditor archives.
Between 2019 and 2026, Tipton County Council member compensation grew from $5,600 to $8,652—a cumulative 54.5% increase in part-time stipends.
Proactively publishing complete multi-year salary trends ensures residents have direct, clear visibility into official compensation adjustments alongside broader county economic benchmarks. Taxpayers deserve total transparency around council self-compensation votes.
👉 Click here to view year-by-year breakdown (2019–2026)
| Year | Annual Pay | Yearly Change ($) | Yearly Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $5,600.00 | — | — |
| 2020 | $5,600.00 | +$0.00 | 0.0% |
| 2021 | $5,824.00 | +$224.00 | +4.0% |
| 2022 | $6,056.00 | +$232.00 | +4.0% |
| 2023 | $7,420.00 | +$1,364.00 | +22.5% |
| 2024 | $8,000.00 | +$580.00 | +7.8% |
| 2025 | $8,240.00 | +$240.00 | +3.0% |
| 2026 | $8,652.00 | +$412.00 | +5.0% |
| TOTAL (2019–2026) | $8,652.00 | +$3,052.00 | +54.5% |
* Data compiled from Indiana Gateway Certified 100R Reports & 2026 Tipton County Salary Ordinance (Dept 0061).
“Modernizing county record accessibility is essential for open government. My goal is to work toward hosting complete digital records—including detailed salary ordinances, current meeting minutes, and categorized roll-call vote logs—directly on the county website, making official information fully searchable and accessible to all residents. This hasn't been done … and I can do it.”
Data & Transparency
Through July 2026, the County Council approved $740,000 in mid-year additional local tax spending outside the primary annual budget.
Understanding total fund allocations puts mid-year spending into perspective. Below is a visual breakdown of Tipton County's annual operating funds alongside the specific local tax dollars appropriated mid-year.
*Calculated against the 6-month General Fund operational baseline (~$8.2M).
| Date | Department / Description | County Fund | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04/21/2026 | Highway (Chip Seal Distributor Truck Replacement) | Fund 1176 (MVH) | $355,000.00 |
| 01/20/2026 | Jail Operations (Prisoner Meals $165k, Supplies $65k, Maint) | Fund 9200 (LIT) | $292,000.00 |
| 01/20/2026 | Courthouse & Comm. Corrections 4th Floor Repairs | Fund 1000 / 1238 | $53,000.00 |
| 01/20/2026 | Big Cicero Doctors Park Repairs | Fund 1000 (General) | $25,000.00 |
| 04/21/2026 | County Council (Baker Tilly Tax Analysis) | Fund 1000 (General) | $15,000.00 |
| TOTAL DIRECT LOCAL TAX SPEND (JAN–JUL 2026) | $740,000.00 | ||
Under Indiana law, the Board of Commissioners manages day-to-day county operations, but only the County Council holds the authority to appropriate tax dollars and sign off on mid-year spending requests.
While adopting the primary $16.3M County General budget every October sets the annual baseline, the Council's true fiscal oversight happens month-to-month when departments request extra spending outside that budget. Responsible council members scrutinize every mid-year addition to protect local taxpayers from gradual budget creep.
* Spending compiled from official 2026 Council minutes (excludes state grants). Certified County Budget figures sourced from official 2026 Council budget adoption records and Indiana Gateway.
Monitoring Local Income Tax distributions, MUST Task Force developments, and Indiana Senate Enrolled Act 1 fiscal impacts on Tipton County:
- $22,500 Authorized for Tax Studies: The Council contracted Baker Tilly for a $7,500 LIT Analysis and a $15,000 Parcel-Level Property Tax Study to forecast upcoming revenue shifts.
- MUST Task Force Officially "On Hold": While Baker Tilly recommended creating the Municipal Unit Strategic Taskforce (MUST) to coordinate tax sharing between the County and municipalities, Auditor Jon DeBaun confirmed the Council has put the task force on hold. Official minutes show Council members paused action due to concerns over Baker Tilly's facilitation costs.
- June 1 Special Session: The Council convened a special meeting to review baseline LIT framework data prior to 2027 budget planning, but long-term interlocal coordination remains paused.
👉 Click here to read Matt’s Candidate Takeaway on local tax action
“Having invested $22,500 in professional tax impact analyses, the next logical step is establishing structured, transparent interagency coordination. My priority is ensuring recommendations from taxpayer-funded studies are systematically evaluated and acted upon to protect local revenue before state-level tax shifts take effect.”
Real Questions from Tipton County Residents
Direct, data-backed answers to budget and policy questions asked on the campaign trail.
"How much does Tipton County spend on health insurance for full-time county employees each year?"
This covers full-time sheriff deputies, jail officers, highway crews, E911 dispatchers, and court personnel—an essential investment to recruit and retain skilled public servants.