Noblesville, Indiana school referendum FAQs

An operating referendum on the Tuesday, November 3, 2026 ballot for everyone who lives inside the Noblesville Schools boundary. It replaces the 2018 operating referendum, which expires at the end of 2026, and would authorize a property-tax rate of up to 57¢ per $100 of assessed value for eight years, through 2034. The district says it would raise roughly $25 million a year, about 20% of its operating budget.

Not at the same price. Today's rate is 37¢. The ballot authorizes a maximum of 57¢ — about 54% higher: (57 − 37) ÷ 37 = 54%. A true renewal would keep the rate where it is.

It depends on your home's assessed value. On a $350,000 primary residence, the rate going from 37¢ to 57¢ costs about $19.43 a month — roughly $233 a year — once the full rate is reached. The ballot itself, as Indiana law requires, estimates a $955-a-year increase for a median $350,000 home compared with having no referendum. That is the full 57¢ in 2027; the board’s August resolution caps 2027 at 38.5¢, about $644 on the same home. Use the tax calculator with your own assessed value from the Hamilton County Auditor.

It's described as the average annual increase over all eight years, but it isn't an average: it's the district calculator's final-year increase divided by eight. Averaged across the same calculator's eight years, the increase is $8.19 a month, reaching $15.05 a month by 2034. It also folds in a separate state tax cut (SEA 1) that arrives whether or not the referendum passes. The arithmetic, line by line.

The August 18, 2026 board resolution is real, and it's worth crediting. But it sets only 2027 (38.5¢) and then caps each later year's increase at 4¢ — not the destination. On that schedule the rate can reach the full 57¢ by 2032. A future board can rescind a resolution; the ballot, once approved, is what's binding for eight years.

Possibly not by much — and we'd rather say so. The 2025 state law SEA 1 is phasing in larger homestead deductions every year, whether or not this passes, so some homeowners' total bills may hold roughly flat. But the referendum still costs about $19 a month on a $350,000 home at the full rate. The real question is whether the state's tax cut stays with your household or goes to the district.

Noblesville is asking for the highest rate of the five Hamilton County districts on the same ballot: Noblesville 57¢, Carmel Clay 42.74¢, Sheridan 40¢, Westfield Washington 39.41¢, Hamilton Southeastern 36¢.

The 2018 referendum expires at the end of 2026 and the district says it would have to make budget reductions. A NO vote also lets the school board return to voters as soon as November 2028 with a revised question — for example, a lower rate or a shorter term — sized to what it actually needs rather than the maximum.

No. Noblesville has good schools and good teachers, and a state law put every district in the county under pressure. Our objection is to the size and length of this particular tax increase and to calling it a “continuation.”

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026; polls are open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The voter registration deadline is Monday, October 5. Early in-person voting runs October 6 through noon November 2 — in Noblesville at the Hamilton County Judicial Center (One Hamilton County Square) and the Hamilton County Fairgrounds (2003 Pleasant Street). On Election Day you vote at your own precinct's polling place. Bring an Indiana or U.S. government photo ID. Check your registration, polling place and sample ballot at indianavoters.in.gov. The referendum is Public Question #3, near the end of the ballot — don't stop after the candidate races. Full early-voting schedule and step-by-step guide, or the final week at a glance.