Montgomery Courthouse Montgomery County was formed in 1823. It was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada, in the Battle of Quebec.

The first county election was held in March 1823. 61 people voted in that first election. The first three county commissioners were elected - William Offield, James Blevins and John McCollough - who then ordered that the first jail and courthouse be built.

OUR WEBSITE HAS MOVED

PLEASE VISIT US AT:

HTTPS://WWW.IN.GOV/LOCALHEALTH/MONTGOMERYCOUNTY/

**NEW LOCATION**

Montgomery County Auditor's Office has moved.

Montgomery County Government Center

1580 Constitution Row - Suite A

Crawfordsville, IN 47933

The duties of the County Auditor:
By statute, the Auditor serves as the county’s fiscal officer. As such, the Auditor works closely with all other departments and county offices. This places a heavy duty of fiscal responsibilities onto the office of Auditor. This includes being responsible for documenting all financial activity in over 200 various funds and drain maintenance ledgers and reporting this activity yearly into the State’s Gateway System. The Auditor is to keep accurate account for all appropriations made by County Council, issue warrants and certify claims. In addition to Accounts Payable, all Accounts Receivable and Payroll is processed through the Auditor’s office, including benefits administration and deduction withholding. The Auditor’s staff and Treasurer’s office maintain separate accounting records to ensure proper use of public funds.

In addition to being the fiscal officer, the Auditor is also responsible for the preparation, preservation, alteration and maintenance of the tax duplicate. The office processes all property tax deductions and maintains ownership records. The Auditor calculates the property tax statements for real property, personal property and mobile home, including the administration of tax abatements and Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) areas.

Finally, the Auditor serves as the Secretary to the County Council, the Treasurer for the Redevelopment Commission and the Jail Building Facility Corporation, and the Controller for the Solid Waste Management District.

For Council meeting agendas and minutes, click here.
For upcoming Council meeting dates, click here.

Mindy Byers has been Auditor since January 2023. Mindy was born and raised in Montgomery County and is the daughter of Bud and Kay Byers (Blaydes). She has three older siblings (Todd, Kristi and Trisha) and a rescue dog, Lennox. She is an active member of New Hope Christian Church and a volunteer for various organizations, with the ALS Association being nearest and dearest to her heart. Mindy enjoys cooking, canoeing Sugar Creek and golfing and is always up for a road trip, near or far.

Mindy began working for the county in 2015 as the Property Deputy in the Auditor’s Office. She quickly moved to Chief Deputy in the same year and became Auditor in 2023. She brings over 25 years of Account Management and Project Management experience from industries such as printed circuit board manufacturing and engineering services, custom software and technology, and building materials. Her proudest professional accomplishment is serving on a team that brought a new product line from inception to market. Above all that, her heart lies in serving the community she calls home.

Heather Laffoon

The County Treasurer is Heather Laffoon. She has been the Treasurer since January 2019. Heather was born in Crawfordsville and has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Ball State University

She has been married to her husband Bill since 1997 and were high school sweethearts. Bill works at Nucor Steel. They have 5 children- Gabriel, Austin, Ellen, Todd, and Thomas. They also have two granddaughters and a grandson.

Heather has worked for Montgomery County since March 2017 when she was hired as a part-time deputy in the Treasurer’s Office.

She is a member of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church and is also a member of Burning Hearts Emmaus. Before becoming Treasurer for Montgomery County, Heather volunteered at Wesley Thrift Shop and served as the Treasurer. She was also the Treasurer for Coal Creek Fire and Rescue.

She has volunteered at church and in the community and she enjoys going to her children’s sporting events: football, wrestling, baseball and track throughout the year.

Heather enjoys looking for a good bargain at flea markets, garage sales, thrift shops or consignment stores. She enjoys vacationing with her husband and collecting sand from different beaches that they have visited. Heather also enjoys spending time around a fire (campfire or fireplace) with her family and friends. She collects hearts found in nature and has a heart shaped bowl on her coffee table filled with heart shaped rocks that she has found. On the weekends, Heather enjoys playing games with her family or visiting with friends.

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The Duties of the Treasurer:

The Treasurer is responsible for balancing all banking transactions of the County: making deposits, transferring funds, investment of funds, insuring that all County Funds are in balance.

The responsibilities include: Collection of property taxes (real estate-personal-mobile home): dog taxes; inheritance taxes; issue mobile home moving permits and verify taxes for alcohol beverage permits; prepare annual real estate tax sale and collection of delinquent personal property taxes and judgments; prepare lender list of mortgage companies; verify public employees taxes and collection of any delinquent taxes.

The Treasurer's Office accepts payments of any amount to be applied to the taxpayers parcel at any time during the tax year in the Treasurer's office or online. Click here - Property Tax Payments

Courthouse

**NEW LOCATION**

Montgomery County Assessor's offices have moved to:

1580 Constitution Row - Suite C

Crawfordsville, IN 47933

Sherri Bentley is the County Assessor and is responsible for locating, identifying and assessing all taxable property in the County, in accordance with Indiana state laws and administrative procedures; and to certify and provide those values annually to the County Auditor.

Our mission is to accomplish these tasks accurately, and in a clear and concise manner that results in fair and equitable assessments.

Sherri Bentley, County Assessor

**NEW LOCATION**

MONTGOMERY COUNTY BUILDING/ZONING DEPARTMENT have moved to

Montgomery County Government Center

1580 Constitution Row - Suite E

Crawfordsville, IN 47933

The Montgomery County Building and Zoning Department reviews and issues permits for building construction, demolitions and electrical inspections. We are responsible for most of Montgomery County excluding the City of Crawfordsville and the two- mile jurisdiction. The Building Department also issues new 911 addresses and maintains the address database for the unincorporated and incorporated areas of the County. We handle land use information; Building, Subdivision, Flood control and Sugar Creek ordinances. We are responsible for reviewing rezoning and other applications for the Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals.

Marc Bonwell is Building and Zoning Administrator.

Courthouse

Room 303

Montgomery County Superior Court II is presided over by Honorable Daniel Petrie.

Superior Court II handles criminal cases; all types of civil cases including domestic relations, torts, plenary, collection and small claims; and traffic and ordinance violations.

Superior Court II also has a certified Veterans Treatment Court.

Superior Court II Cause #'s begin with 54D02. Any questions, please contact the main office @ 765-364-6455.

Courthouse

Superior Court 1 - Room 301

Montgomery County Superior Court 1 is presided over by Honorable Heather Barajas.

Superior Court cause #'s begin with 54D01. Any questions, please contact the main office @ 765-364-6447.

Montgomery County Circuit Court - Room 201 of the County Courthouse, 100 East Main Street, Crawfordsville.

The Judge for the Montgomery County Circuit Court is the Honorable Darren Chadd. Judge Chadd started serving as Judge in 2023.

Circuit Court handles juvenile, civil, criminal (felony & higher).

Circuit Court Cause #'s begin with 54C.

Leah Denbo is the County Clerk.

This office handles a number of administrative duties for the county courts, state and federal government.

This includes:

Collecting payments and record-keeping for County Courts
Processing request for marriage licenses and divorces.
The handling of passports.
The Clerk also conducts all elections within the county.

The Clerk's office is located on the second floor of the Courthouse in Room 203.

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Montgomery County Probation Department is to enhance community safety, reduce recidivism, and facilitate positive change in offenders’ lives through accountability and rehabilitation.

VISION STATEMENT

The vision of the Montgomery County Probation Department is to be a proactive and innovative agency that utilizes evidenced based programming and supervision practices to achieve long term positive change in the community we serve.

Courthouse

**NEW LOCATION**

Montgomery County Commissioners Office has moved to

Montgomery County Government Center

1580 Constitution Row

Crawfordsville, IN 47933

The Board consists of three Commissioners who are elected to four-year staggered terms at the County general elections. The Board of Commissioners act as the executive and legislative body for County government.

Board of Commissioners:

Commissioner John E. Frey, Board President;

Commissioner Jim Fulwider, Board Vice President;

Commissioner Dan Guard, Member.

Vision Statement

To serve the people of Montgomery County by creating an environment conducive to growth, opportunity, education, safety and stability.

Core Values

Respect Each Other, Character, Consideration, Trust, Inclusive: Decision Making and Informing, Transparency, Serve the People, Hard Work and Commitment

Get to Know the Commissioners:

Commissioner Jim Fulwider

Jim was born in Montgomery County, grew up in Wingate and is a lifelong resident of the County.

He is a graduate of North Montgomery High School and has been a fireman for the City of Crawfordsville since 1994.

Jim has been married to Cheryl since 1987 and they have two daughters, Kyla and Kara, and three grandchildren. Jim and his wife attend New Hope Christian Church.

Jim enjoys the outdoors, likes to golf and roots for the Cincinnati Reds.

Commissioner John Frey

John Frey

John was born in Montgomery County and is a lifelong resident of the County. His family has farmed in Montgomery County for five generations.

John graduated from North Montgomery High School and he began farming grain and livestock upon graduation.

John lives in Madison Township and has two daughters, Tori and Niki, and one son, Nick. He has six grandchildren.

John has served on many community Boards including the County Council (06-14), County Convention and Visitors Bureau Board, Valley Oaks Mental Health Service Board, County Plan Commission, County Opioid Task Force, County Redevelopment Commission, County Drainage Board and the County Leadership Academy Board, John is a ten year member of 4H and served on their Expansion and Review Committee. He was a past member of the Young Farmers. John has been a third degree Free and Accepted Mason since 2013.

John enjoys fishing and hunting with his grandkids and golfing with his friends.

Commissioner Dan Guard

Dan Guard

Dan was born in Montgomery County and grew up in Linden. He is a graduate of North Montgomery County High School and the Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

Dan has owned his own business, Lawn Guard, since 2005. Dan has been married to Stacey since 1993 and they have one daughter, Darby, and one son, Devin. They have one grandson. Dan and his wife attend Woodland Heights Christian Church.

Dan served on the Crawfordsville City Council for two terms and is the past chair of the Montgomery County Republican Party.

Dan is a competitive fisher and enjoys bicycling with his wife and rooting for the Cincinnati Reds.

The Commissioners' staff:

Lori Dossett Commissioners' Executive Assistant.

Lori was born in Montgomery County, grew up in Waveland and is a lifelong resident of the County. She is a graduate of South Montgomery High School. Lori has worked in the Commissioners Office since January 2, 2001. She was hired by Commissioners Bill McCormick, Commissioner Cindy Edmiston and Commissioner Ken Coudret.

Lori has been married to Phil since March 14, 1981 and they have two daughters, Brittany and Hannah. Son-in-laws Rob Corey (Brittany) and Shawn Cochran (Hannah). Phil & Lori are very proud to have one "bonus" grandson Brayden who is an 8th grader at Southmont Junior High School.

Lori enjoys her work for the County and has had an opportunity to see many changes in her 22 years of service to the County. She also enjoys traveling with her family, photography, attending Brayden's races and sporting events, German Shephard Zee and roots for the Indianapolis Colts.

Tom Klein

Tom Klein County Administrator, ICMA-CM.

Indiana University Bloomington: BS and MPA from the O'Neil School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
Credentialed Manager, International City/County Management Association.
22 years as Avon Town Manager.
Other Previous Employment: Chief Financial Officer and Executive Assistant to the Director of Public Works, Indianapolis; Executive Assistant to the Public
Works Director and Executive Assistant to the Mayor, City of Bloomington, Indiana.
Married with 4 children, 3 dogs and 1 cat.
Attends church at First United Methodist Church in Crawfordsville.
Member of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Member of the Crawfordsville Rotary Club-President: 2023.
Member of the United Way of Montgomery County Advisory Board.
Welcome Ambassador, International City/County Management Association.
Inducted into the Circle of Corydon by the State of Indiana.

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners serves as the executive and legislative authority for the county. The Board's statutory duties include:

Supervision of the County Highway system
Construction and maintenance of County bridges
Management of all County property
Auditing and authorizing claims
Receiving bids and authorizing County contracts
Exercising appointments to boards, commissions, committees, and certain department heads
Supervision of County building regulations and zoning ordinance
Management of County information technology system
Supervision of County economic development
Liaison to all County officeholders and other Government Entities

The following County Departments are directly under the authority of the Montgomery County Commissioners:

Building, Maintenance and Planning Department
Highway Department
County Engineer
County Administrator
Central Communications Center
Emergency Management Agency
IT Department
Human Resources
Legal Services

Meetings

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meet on the 2nd & 4th Monday of each month at 8:00 a.m. in the Community Meeting Room of the County Government Center at 1580 Constitution Row in Crawfordsville. The Board also meets at 9:00 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month with the Montgomery County Council in the Community Meeting Room.

The 7 member County Council is the governing body who has the power over fiscal affairs. Specific responsibilities of the Council include:

Approving annual and operating budgets of all county department heads
Establishing salaries
Authorizing the expenditure of public funds for specific purposes
Fixing tax rates and levies
Authorizing the borrowing of money in the form of bonds and notes

2023 County Council Members (bios are below):

Gary Booth

Jake Bohlander

Brett Cating

Joyce Grimble

David Hunt

Steve Loy

Matt Nelson

County Council Member David Hunt has served on the Council since 2020. [email protected]

David was born and raised in Crawfordsville and graduated from Crawfordsville High School. He has an Associate Degree in Funeral Service from Vincennes University and a Bachelors Degree in Management from Indiana Wesleyan University.

David is a 4th generation funeral director and owns Hunt & Son Funeral Home along with his brother.

He is married to Karin and they have 2 children and 2 grandchildren.

David is a member of the Crawfordsville Kiwanis Club and has served as club president. He has served on the Crawfordsville Aviation Board and Crawfordsville Fire Merit Board.

He is a member of Rock Point Church where he leads a men's Wilderness Ministry.

David is an active triathlete, outdoorsman, and enjoys camping with his family.

County Council Member Jake Bohlander began serving on the County Council in 2021. [email protected]

Jake was born in Lafayette and graduated from North Montgomery High School and earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University.

He is married to Morgan and is the owner of Pinnacle Ag Solutions.

He is a member of the Regional Sewer Board and the Coal Creek Chapter of Pheasants Forever.

Jake enjoys the outdoors and spending time with his family and roots for the Purdue Boilermakers.

County Council Member Gary Booth began serving on the County Council in 2014. [email protected]

County Council Member Brett Cating began serving on the County Council in 2023. [email protected]

Brett was born and raised in Ladoga and graduated from Southmont High School in 1982.

Brett started out delivering the Journal Review in the east end of Ladoga when he was a kid. He grew up helping farmers and working at their family-owned business, Service Lumber Co.

Brett holds a Master Road Builders Certificate from Purdue University.

Brett is a small business owner of the Canning Factory Bar & Grill, Cating Investments LLC and Cating Just 4 Kicks farm. He was a past Director of Montgomery County Highway Department.

Brett has served as President of the Indiana Association of County Highway Engineers and Supervisor and received the Supervisor of the Year award. He also was a sports announcer for Crawfordsville radio for over 23 years.

Brett is a 30-year member of the Ladoga Lions Club and has served as a past President and Treasurer. He has served as President of the Ladoga Library Board, member of the West Central Solid Waste District Board and as past President of the Midstate Mule and Donkey Association. Brett is a member of the Eagles, SAL and Ladoga Cemetery Board.

He and his wife Amy live on their farm near Ladoga. They have 4 children and 6 grandchildren.

Brett enjoys farming, mules, fishing, hunting, traveling, and sharing the history of Ladoga.

County Council Member Joyce Grimble began serving on the Council in 2023. [email protected]

Joyce Grimble

Joyce graduated with a BS and MS from Purdue University and holds certifications in School Counseling and School Administration from IUPUI.

She taught Consumer and Family Science for 18 years before becoming a high school guidance counselor and retiring as the Director of Guidance at West Lafayette Jr-Sr High School. Currently she is assisting the Guidance Dept at North Montgomery High School as a Career Counselor.

Joyce grew up in Grant County and met her husband Jack at Purdue. They live on a farm in Wayne Township where they reared their two children, Justin and Jana. They are most proud of their three grandsons, Aiden, Kale and Beau.

Jack and Joyce are members and serve on several committees of the Waynetown United Methodist Church. Membership also includes Farm Bureau and Jack serves on the Farm Service Agency committee. Joyce is a member of Indiana and Montgomery County retired teachers and an active alumni of Twin Pines Cooperative at Purdue.

Joyce is past president and seven year Board member of the Montgomery County Community Foundation. She is a member of the Women's Legacy Fund and serves on the steering committee. Currently she volunteers with 4-H and serves as a judge at the local, county and state levels. Previously, Joyce was on the Montgomery United for You (MUFFY) board, served as a 4-H leader, was a Family Crisis Shelter volunteer and served on various Purdue University advisory boards. She is a past president of Purdue Cooperative Agriculture Research and Teaching, a liaison group with the School of Agriculture at Purdue.

Joyce enjoys gardening, reading, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

County Council Member Steve Loy began serving on the County Council in 2023. [email protected]

Steve is originally from Jay County Indiana. In 1973, upon receiving his Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University, Steve moved to Crawfordsville and has been a resident of Montgomery County ever since. He recently retired from Chase Bank where he served as an Executive Officer and President.

He has served as vice president of the Montgomery County Planning Commission, president of the Montgomery County Board of Zoning Appeals, Ivy Tech Montgomery County Advisory Committee and the Board of Directors of Indiana West Advantage Economic Development. He has also served on the Board of Directors and Investment Committee of the Montgomery County Community Foundation. Steve is the County Council representative for District 3 (northeast) Montgomery County.

Steve is married to Jacki and they have a daughter, Tiffany and two grandchildren.

County Council Member Matt Nelson began serving on the County Council in 2023. [email protected]

Matt is a life-long resident of Montgomery County. He is a graduate from Southmont High School and studied Construction Technology at Indiana State University.

He has been self-employed in the construction industry for the past 25 years. He also enjoys fishing, hunting and boating with his family and friends.

Matt is married to Kathleen and they have two kids, one in college and one in high school. Matt and his family are members of the Whitesville Christian Church.

He has been involved in coaching many youth sports over the past several years including basketball, football, and volleyball. He is also the chairman of the Crawfordsville Friends of the NRA.

The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney is charged with the responsibility of representing the State of Indiana in felony and misdemeanor criminal prosecutions arising from crimes committed in Montgomery County, Indiana.

The office also represents the State of Indiana in traffic infractions and other non traffic infractions arising from State statutes.

This office represents the State in the prosecution of juvenile offenders, individuals under 18 years of age, who commit status offenses or acts that would be crimes if committed by an adult.

The Office of the Montgomery County Prosecuting Attorney is located on the 2nd floor of the Courthouse in Room 205.

For a complete statutory Coroner's Job Description click:

http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar2/ch14.html#IC36-2-14-1

Courthouse

Nancy Cox is the County Recorder.

The Montgomery County Recorder's Office is located in Suite D of the Montgomery County Government Center.

The County Recorder's primary duty is recording instruments on behalf of county residents. Documents recorded include deeds, mortgages, affidavits, power of attorneys, contracts, easements, and surveys among many other miscellaneous documents. All deeds have been scanned from 1823 to present. All recordings are public information and are available to the public for a fee.

http://montgomerycosheriff.net

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Department serves a population of 38,173. The area covered is 504 square miles which includes 845 miles of County Roadways and 160 miles of State Highways. The Sheriff's Department is in charge of all law enforcement actions for the county and to maintain a County Jail and provide service to the Courts.

The Montgomery County Jail is located at 600 Memorial Drive in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The new facility was opened in June 2006. It has a capacity of 224 beds: 130 male beds, 40 female beds, 12 temporary beds, 2 padded detox. beds and 40 beds for Work Release.

Click the photo to see the County Jail Slide Show.

The mission of the Montgomery County Surveyor's Office and Drainage Board is to assure that the County's regulated drain system complies with State and County laws and professional drainage standards; provides adequately functioning and financially sound drains; and earns public and landowner trust.

Courthouse

**NEW LOCATION**

Montgomery County Mapping Department has moved to

Montgomery County Government Center

1580 Constitution Row

Crawfordsville, IN 47933

The Mapping Department supports County Departments in providing the leading-edge access to Geographic Information Systems services. The Mapping Department reviews land transactions and enters them in to the County taxing software. The Mapping Director is Mike Davis. Parcel Technician is Rhonda Herron.

Click here to view Montgomery County's GIS information including parcel information, tax information, voting districts, aerial maps, etc.

Mike Davis is the Mapping Director.