Pike Township's legislative body passed a resolution revoking Trustee Annette Johnson's access to a government-owned vehicle amid scrutiny over how the taxpayer-funded SUV was being used. Board members cited timestamped photos and videos showing her behind the wheel of a township Chevrolet Traverse at a political event.
Those images, reported by IndyStar, showed Johnson driving the Traverse to a January campaign event in Carmel for congressional candidate J.D. Ford. The newspaper also reported other trips in the township SUV.
Johnson, who took office in 2019 and is running uncontested for reelection next month, was the subject of a board resolution revoking her access to the vehicle.
Board Considers Vehicle Access and Pay
The board considered Johnson's vehicle access, while a compensation vote was also expected at the Oct. 28 meeting.
Board member Claudette Peterson, who opposed Johnson in the 2022 election, has repeatedly raised the mileage-log issue.
Under Indiana law, township-owned vehicles are for official duties. The resolution revoked Johnson's access to the township vehicle.
State Audit Flagged Pay and Paperwork Problems
The vehicle fight followed a state audit that examined Pike Township after it spent enough federal money in 2025 to require the review, according to mirrorindy.org. The Indiana State Board of Accounts issued its report in September, finding that the township lacked documentation showing mileage logs had been maintained for its vehicles as required by law. Johnson said the logs weren't consistently kept because township vehicles operated as a shared vehicle pool rather than being assigned to specific employees.
Auditors also found $24,000 in employee salary increases that were not authorized by the union contract, salary resolution or governing-body policy. Johnson said she temporarily removed the wage increases that had gone to firefighters working extra duties, and the township said it immediately discontinued the additional compensation until it could be properly approved through the salary-resolution process. Hicks said employees would not have to repay the unauthorized pay.
Separately, the audit found that Pike Township had omitted part of its Medicaid reimbursements from its annual financial report, understating the figure by about $1 million, and pointed to weak internal controls that caused financial-reporting errors. The township board called the combined findings serious instances of noncompliance touching employee compensation, public funds, legally required records, financial reporting and internal controls. In response, the township said it adopted protocols requiring mileage logs to be kept in each vehicle.
Budget Business Alongside the Controversy
The township's proposed 2026 budget was $57.7 million. Pike Township maintains an independent fire department and is one of only three townships in Marion County to do so.
Indiana's township government structure has drawn broader scrutiny beyond Pike Township. Experts told The Republic that township governments across the state may be vulnerable to mismanagement, misuse of funds and corruption because they face little state oversight and often escape public scrutiny. Indiana law requires mileage logs for township vehicles.
Pike Township's governing board has passed a resolution revoking the trustee's access to the township vehicle.
