Editing St. Joseph County, Indiana (section)

==Government==
{{See also|Government of Indiana}}
The county government is a constitutional body, and is granted specific powers by the [[Constitution of Indiana]], and by the [[Indiana Code]].

'''County Council:''' The county council is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all the spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected from county districts. The council members serve four-year terms. They are responsible for setting salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council also has limited authority to impose local taxes, in the form of an income and property tax that is subject to state level approval, excise taxes, and service taxes.<ref name = inc3623>{{cite web|author=Indiana Code|author-link=Indiana Code|url=http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar2/ch3.html |title=Title 36, Article 2, Section 3|access-date=September 16, 2008|publisher=IN.gov}}</ref><ref name = inc2102>{{cite web|author= Indiana Code|author-link= Indiana Code|url= http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041227171739/http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf |archive-date=December 27, 2004 |url-status=live |title= Title 2, Article 10, Section 2 |access-date=September 16, 2008|publisher=IN.gov}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! District !! Councilperson !! Party
|-
|A || Joseph Thomas || {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican
|-
|B || Amy Drake  || {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican
|-
|C || Dan Schaetzle, ''President''  || {{Party shading/Republican}}|Republican
|-
|D || Jenn Shabazz || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic
|-
|E || Diana Hess  || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic
|-
|F || Randy Figg || {{Party shading/Republican}}|Republican
|-
|G || Mark Catanzarite, ''President Pro Tempore'' || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic
|-
|H || Bryan Tanner, ''Vice President'' || {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic
|-
|I || Andy Rutten || {{Party shading/Republican}}|Republican
|-
|}

'''Board of Commissioners:''' The executive body of the county is made of a board of commissioners. The commissioners are elected county-wide, in staggered terms, and each serves a four-year term. One of the commissioners, typically the most senior, serves as president. The commissioners are charged with executing the acts legislated by the council, collecting revenue, and managing the day-to-day functions of the county government.<ref name = inc3623/><ref name = inc2102/>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! District !! Commissioner !! Party
|-
|1 || Carl Baxmeyer, ''President'' || {{Party shading/Republican}}|Republican
|-
|2 || Rafael Morton || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic
|-
|3 || Tony Hazen, ''Vice President'' || {{Party shading/Republican}}|Republican
|}

'''Court:''' The county maintains several courts: the [[Circuit Court]] that hears primarily civil matters and some criminal cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of six years and must be a licensed attorney in good standing. The judge is assisted by three magistrates appointed by the judge. The Superior Court hears both civil and criminal cases, including small claims and traffic/misdemeanor cases. There are eight judges appointed to the Superior Court by the Governor of Indiana. They are assisted by four magistrates who handle the small claims and traffic/misdemeanor dockets. The Probate Court hears juvenile cases, child abuse or neglect cases, along with probate matters. The judge on the court is elected to a term of six years and must be a licensed attorney in good standing. The judge is assisted by three magistrates and one commissioner (similar to a magistrate) who are appointed by the judge. Decisions from these courts can be appealed to the [[Indiana Court of Appeals]].<ref name = inc2102/>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Office !! Judge !! Party
|-
|Circuit Court || John Broden || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic
|-
|Probate Court || Loris Zappia || {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican
|}

'''County Officials:''' The county has several other elected offices, including [[sheriff]], [[coroner]], [[auditor]], [[treasurer]], [[Recorder of deeds|recorder]], [[Surveying|surveyor]], and circuit [[court clerk]]. Each of these elected officers serves a term of four years and oversees a different part of county government. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare [[political party|party]] affiliations and to be residents of the county.<ref name = inc2102/>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Office !! Officeholder !! Party
|-
|Assessor || Michael Castellon || {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican
|-
|Auditor || John Murphy || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic
|-
|Clerk || Amy Rolfes || {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican
|-
|Coroner || Patricia Jordan || {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican
|-
|Prosecutor || Ken Cotter  || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic
|-
|Recorder || Candace Brown || {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican
|-
|Sheriff || William Redman || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic
|-
|Surveyor || Derek Dieter  || {{Party shading/Republican}}| Republican
|-
|Treasurer || Michael Kruk || {{Party shading/Democratic}}| Democratic
|-
|}