Wells County
County
Wells County Courthouse in Bluffton
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°44′N 85°13′W / 40.73°N 85.22°W / 40.73; -85.22
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	1837
Named for	William A. Wells
Seat	Bluffton
Largest city	Bluffton
Area
• Total	370.25 sq mi (958.9 km2)
• Land	368.09 sq mi (953.3 km2)
• Water	2.16 sq mi (5.6 km2)  0.58%
Population  (2020)
• Total	28,180
• Density	76/sq mi (29/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.wellscounty.org
Indiana county number 90

Wells County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 28,180.^[1] The county seat is Bluffton.^[2]

Wells County is included in the Fort Wayne Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Fort Wayne—Huntington—Auburn Combined Statistical Area.

History

The Territory of Indiana was established in 1800 as legitimized by the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The governing structure established through this act began creating counties in the territory as it became increasingly populated. In December 1816, the State of Indiana was admitted to the Union. Wells was named after famous frontiersmen William A. Wells who played a central role in the Northwest Indian Wars and the activity surrounding Fort Miami and Kekionga.^[3] It was initially assigned to Allen County for legislative and administrative affairs.^{[citation needed]}

In the winter of 1835, Col. John Vowter of Jennings County, Chairman of the Committee on New Counties, introduced a bill proposing that the assembly "lay out all the unorganized territory to which the Indian title had been extinguished in the state into a suitable number of counties". This bill would be approved later that year on February 7, effectively creating thirteen Northern Indiana counties, one of which was Wells.^[4]

On February 2, 1837, an act was passed by the state, authorizing Wells County to be organized independent of Allen County, and specifying May 1 for the date of the first meeting. However, that meeting did not take place, and so an act dated January 20, 1838, authorized the meeting of appointed commissioners to decide on a county seat. That vote was completed on March 5, 1838, selecting Bluffton.^[5]

Geography

The low rolling hills of Wells County have been deforested and are now completely devoted to agriculture and urban development. The Wabash River flows to the northwest, draining the central and upper part of the county, while the lower part is drained by the Salamonie River, also flowing to the northwest.^[6] The highest point on the terrain (935 feet/285 meters ASL) is an isolated rise on the county's south borderline with Jay County, one-half mile (0.8 km) east of the NE corner of Blackford County.^[7]

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 370.25 square miles (958.9 km²), of which 368.09 square miles (953.3 km²) (or 99.42%) is land and 2.16 square miles (5.6 km²) (or 0.58%) is water.^[8]

Adjacent counties

City and towns

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Major highways

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Bluffton have ranged from a low of 16 °F (−9 °C) in January to a high of 84 °F (29 °C) in July, although a record low of −24 °F (−31 °C) was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in July 1980. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 1.83 inches (46 mm) in February to 4.11 inches (104 mm) in May.^[9]

Government

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 legislative branch of the county government; controls spending and revenue collection in the county. Representatives are elected to four-year terms from county districts. They set salaries, the annual budget, and special spending. The council 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.^[10][11]

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county; commissioners are elected county-wide to staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners execute acts legislated by the council, collect revenue, and manage the county government.^[10][11]

Court: The county maintains a small claims court that handles civil cases. The judge on the court is elected to a term of four years. 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.^[11]

County Officials: The county has other elected offices, including sheriff, coroner, auditor, treasurer, recorder, surveyor, and circuit court clerk. The officers are elected to four-year terms. Members elected to county government positions are required to declare party affiliations and to be residents of the county.^[11]