Ron Wilkins and Dartunorro Clark, Journal and Courier
On the second and final reading of an ordinance to raise the classification of the city of West Lafayette from Class 3 to Class 2, the West Lafayette City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday night to approve the measure.
But before the classification is effective, the city must hold a special session to make sure that, during the redistricting process, council districts are statistically accurate after the U.S. Census report on West Lafayette's post-annexation population numbers are received. The official census numbers are likely to be received on Sept. 13. The census numbers will then have to be certified by the Tippecanoe County Area Plan Commission.
Unofficially, the city's population is roughly 42,000, post-annexation, Mayor John Dennis said. A population of 35,000 is the minimum threshold to move from a Class 3 city to a Class 2, which the city will officially become after next year's municipal elections. This redistricting vote would increase the city's districts from five to six and increase the number of at-large council members from two to three.
City Attorney Eric Burns said the redistricting must be completed before November or it becomes a moot point for five years. That makes Nov. 1 a hard and fast deadline for the council.