La Porte council adopts redistricting guidelines, appoints coordinator and sets public map deadline

The La Porte City Common Council on May 5 adopted a resolution that lays out rules and a public timeline for redrawing the city’s seven legislative body districts and designated President Pro Tempore Tim Franke as the council’s redistricting coordinator.

The move implements procedures to comply with state deadlines tied to the 2020 decennial census and recent state legislation. Brian Bosma, the council’s retained special legal counsel, told the council the legislature’s 2024 action (Senate Enrolled Act 135) requires legislative bodies that did not complete redistricting after the last census to act by June 30, 2025. "There are four total statutory requirements which have to be complied with by city legislative bodies who are redistricting," Bosma said, citing contiguity, reasonable compactness, precinct-boundary rules and population equality.

Bosma outlined practical effects and the council’s policy goals: use the 2020 Census population adjusted for annexations, avoid splitting precincts where possible, and aim to reduce the council’s current population deviation. He said La Porte’s districts now have a total deviation of about 14.2 percent and that the council’s guidelines aim for a plan with a deviation at or under 5 percent unless objective criteria justify a larger deviation. "We think you should be shooting for something at 5 percent or under," Bosma said.

The resolution sets a public process: a public submission kit and maps will be posted later in the week, the deadline for public and council plan submissions is May 28 at noon at the Clerk-Treasurer’s office, a public hearing is scheduled for June 2, and final reading and adoption of an ordinance is anticipated on June 16 unless second reading is waived. Bosma also said the council must use population, not voter rolls, in drawing districts.

Members of the public, including Julie Vaughn of Common Cause Indiana and former Mayor Lee Morris, urged the council to encourage public participation and offered assistance and public mapping tools. "We would like to help in whatever way we can generating public participation in this process," Vaughn said during public comment.

The council voted to approve the resolution and its guidelines by unanimous voice vote. The resolution takes effect immediately and charges the coordinator to work with special counsel to prepare a proposed plan for council consideration.