Editing Lake 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|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|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005194234/http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar2/ch3.html|archive-date=October 5, 2008|author-link=Indiana Code}}</ref><ref name=inc2102>{{cite web |author= Indiana Code |url= http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf |title= Title 2, Article 10, Section 2 |access-date= September 16, 2008 |publisher= IN.gov |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081029030838/http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title3/ar10/ch2.pdf |archive-date= October 29, 2008 |df= mdy-all |author-link= Indiana Code }}</ref>

'''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/>

'''Court:''' The county maintains a [[small claims court]] that can handle some civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years and must be a member of the Indiana Bar Association. The judge is assisted by a constable who is also elected to a four-year term. In some cases, court decisions can be appealed to the state level [[circuit court]].<ref name = inc2102/>

'''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/>

===County elected officials===
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
''[[County commission|Board of Commissioners]]:''<ref name=officials/>
* Kyle W. Allen, Sr. ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]], 1st)†
* Jerry J. Tippy ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]], 2nd)
* Michael C. Repay ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]], 3rd)

''[[Council|County Council]]:''<ref name=officials/>
* David Hamm ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]], 1st)
* Ronald Brewer ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]], 2nd)
* [[Charlie Brown (Indiana politician)|Charlie Brown]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]], 3rd)
* Pete Lindemulder ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]], 4th)
* Christine Cid ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]], 5th)
* Ted F. Bilski ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]], 6th)†
* Randy Niemeyer ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]], 7th)
{{Col-break}}
''[[Official|Elected Officials]]:''<ref name=officials/>
* [[Tax assessment|Assessor]]: LaTonya Spearman ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
* [[Audit]]or: Peggy Katona ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
* [[Clerk (municipal official)|Clerk]]: Michael Brown ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
* [[Coroner]]: David Pastrick ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
* [[Prosecutor]]: Bernard A. Carter ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
* [[Recorder of deeds|Recorder]]: Gina Pimentel ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
* [[Sheriff]]: Oscar Martinez, Jr. ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])<ref>{{cite news
 |author      = Bill Dolan
 |title       = New Lake County Sheriff Martinez credited experience, Hammond support for victory
 |newspaper   = [[The Times of Northwest Indiana]]
 |date        = September 16, 2017
|url         = http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/new-lake-county-sheriff-martinez-credited-experience-hammond-support-for/article_366f5e4e-b62a-5d34-a059-ca23457ed395.html
 |access-date  = September 16, 2017
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20170916220400/http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/new-lake-county-sheriff-martinez-credited-experience-hammond-support-for/article_366f5e4e-b62a-5d34-a059-ca23457ed395.html
 |archive-date = September 16, 2017
|df          = mdy-all
}}</ref>
* [[Surveying|Surveyor]]: Bill Emerson, Jr. ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
* [[Treasurer]]: John Petalas ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])

{{pad|0.5em}}† ''President''
{{Col-end}}