Richland Township and Town of Ellettsville — Reorganization Question (Monroe County)
Ballot measure · November 3, 2026 · Richland Township voters
Results: the official election results site. Counts are unofficial until certified.
- What it does
- Richland Township of Monroe County, Indiana and the Town of Ellettsville of Monroe County, Indiana have each adopted a Plan of Reorganization that provides for the consolidation of Richland Township into the Town of Ellettsville as a single governmental unit that will be governed and administered as a town with a seven (7) member elected Town Council. Shall Richland Township and the Town of Ellettsville reorganize as a single political subdivision?
- A YES vote means
- Richland Township would be consolidated into the Town of Ellettsville as a single government, run as a town with a seven-member elected Town Council.
- A NO vote means
- Richland Township and the Town of Ellettsville would remain separate governments.
- Needed to pass
- A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
- Left–right lean
- Not a left–right issue: a procedural or local question that liberals and conservatives don't typically split on (AI read of the official ballot summary).
Explained
Today
- The Town of Ellettsville is governed by a five-member Town Council and a Clerk-Treasurer, with its own police, fire, public works and planning departments. Most of the town lies inside Richland Township in Monroe County.
- Richland Township is run by a Township Trustee and a three-member Township Board, and provides fire protection, township assistance and cemetery maintenance. WFIU reports the township covers about 35 square miles and has more than 15,000 residents.
If it passes
- Richland Township would be consolidated into the Town of Ellettsville as one town government; the Township Trustee and Township Board would end and their duties and assets would pass to the town. The draft plan sets the effective date as January 1, 2027.
- The town would have a seven-member Town Council. Under the draft plan, the current five council members plus two current Township Board members would serve at first, with five districts and two at-large seats.
- The draft plan creates a "Town District" (today's town limits) and a "Rural District" (the rest of the township) with different service levels and tax rates. Police, cumulative fire, cumulative capital and existing debt-service rates would apply only in the Town District; administration, parks and fire rates would apply across the whole area.
- Existing town debt would still be paid only by current town taxpayers, per the draft plan.
Who would notice
Residents and property owners of Ellettsville and all of Richland Township. WFIU reports the merger could raise property tax rates for some residents and would affect policing, public works and zoning.
How it got here
The Ellettsville Town Council and Richland Township Board each adopted the Plan of Reorganization on June 22, 2026, after a joint reorganization committee drafted it. The Monroe County Election Board approved the question on July 10, and the state Department of Local Government Finance found the wording accurate and unbiased on August 4, 2026. The draft plan cites state tax changes, a broader tax base, protecting township fire services and deterring annexation by other cities.
In the news
Background
The Ellettsville Town Council and the Richland Township Board each adopted a final Plan of Reorganization on June 22, 2026, under Indiana's Government Modernization Act; if voters approve, Richland Township would cease to exist on December 31, 2026 and be consolidated into a reorganized Town of Ellettsville covering about 35.4 square miles, according to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance's review.
The DLGF's review says the plan sets up a Town District and a Rural District with different services and tax rates; the Baker Tilly fiscal impact analysis estimates tax increases of 6.9% for properties in current Richland Township, 4.1% in Ellettsville-Richland and 3.5% in Ellettsville-Bean Blossom, which the DLGF notes are the preparer's figures and not independently verified.
The DLGF review also raised questions about how roads in the Rural District and police coverage would be funded, and noted the plan calls for 13 new full-time police positions phased in over 5 to 7 years.
The DLGF approved the ballot language as accurate and unbiased on August 4, 2026 (No. 26-043-REF); The B Square Bulletin reported the township board voted 2–1 (David Willibey opposed) and the town council 4–0 (Dan Swafford absent) to put the question on the ballot.
In the news
Next elections here
Quick answers
- What does a YES vote on Richland Township and Town of Ellettsville mean?
- Richland Township would be consolidated into the Town of Ellettsville as a single government, run as a town with a seven-member elected Town Council.
- What does a NO vote on Richland Township and Town of Ellettsville mean?
- Richland Township and the Town of Ellettsville would remain separate governments.
- How is the vote counted?
- Under Indiana law for a township and a town inside it, the draft plan says the merger passes only if more than 50% vote yes in each of three tallies: voters in the town, voters in the township outside the town, and all township voters combined.
- Would rural residents pay town police taxes?
- Not under the draft plan: police, cumulative fire building and equipment, cumulative capital and existing debt service rates would apply only inside current town limits.
- Did the state review the ballot wording?
- Yes. The Department of Local Government Finance approved it as accurate and not biased for or against the reorganization.
- How many votes does Richland Township and Town of Ellettsville need to pass?
- A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
- Should I vote yes or no on Richland Township and Town of Ellettsville?
- SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.
- When is the vote?
- The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.
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