Boone County leader named Indiana comptroller. What's a comptroller, anyway?

The president of the Boone County Council will be Indiana’s next state comptroller, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Tuesday in Zionsville.

Elise Nieshalla, who ran for state treasurer during the Republican convention in 2022, will take over the comptroller role starting Friday. She will replace Tera Klutz, who submitted her resignation in September. Nieshalla will serve the remaining three years of Klutz’s term.

"I'm also most grateful for the integrity in which the state comptroller's office is run and for the opportunity to continue the excellence in public service and transparency," Nieshalla said.

Here is what we know.

What does the state comptroller do?

Indiana’s state comptroller, who was referred to as the state auditor prior to July, is the state’s chief financial officer. The comptroller is mainly responsible for paying state employees, disbursing money to local governments, keeping track of the state’s financial records and managing Hoosier START, the state’s retirement savings plans.

Under Klutz’s tenure, the comptroller also managed the Indiana Transparency Portal, a state website that provides more information on Indiana’s finances.

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What is Nieshalla’s experience?

Nieshalla, who is in her second term on the Boone County Council, served on Mitch Daniels’ economic development policy team when the former governor was running for the state’s highest office. In that role, Nieshalla contributed to ideas that led to the Indiana Department of Commerce’s transformation into the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.

Nieshalla served as a founding faculty member of the Hoosier Leadership Series, a government training arm of the Indiana Family Institute founded by former Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Additionally, Nieshalla is the president of the Indiana County Councils Association and a board member of the Association of Indiana Counties. Nieshalla has a background in real estate outside of public service.

Who previously served as state comptroller/auditor?

Outgoing comptroller Tera Klutz was appointed to the auditor’s role in 2017 to finish now-Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch’s term. She was elected to a full term in 2018 and then reelected last year before her resignation in September. Crouch served from 2014 to 2017.

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What happens to Nieshalla’s term on Boone County Council?

Nieshalla has one more year in her current term on the Boone County Council. With her move to the state comptroller’s role, the Boone County Republican Party will hold a caucus to elect her replacement.

Contact IndyStar's state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com or 317-779-4468. Follow her on Twitter/X@CarloniBrittany.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Boone County's Elise Nieshalla named Indiana comptroller