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Board hires Ice Miller to advise on possible November 2026 operating referendum; counsel outlines timeline and deadlines
Summary
The West Lafayette board authorized Ice Miller to provide referendum counsel and timeline support to seek a potential operating levy on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot. Counsel flagged a statutory certification deadline of noon Aug. 1 and estimated typical engagement fees between $5,000 and $14,000, depending on scope.
The West Lafayette Community School Corporation board voted to engage the law firm Ice Miller to serve as legal counsel for a potential operating referendum on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot.
Kristen Mlullen of Ice Miller presented a backwards‑built timeline the board can follow to meet state certification deadlines. She told the board the most important date is noon on Aug. 1 — the statutory certification deadline for items to be on the November ballot — and that the board would need to adopt a resolution to place the referendum question on the ballot prior to the auditor’s July deadlines. Legal steps, she said, will begin in May when the district works with the county auditor to assemble the median home value, levy and form of question that must be submitted to the Department of Local Government Finance for approval.
Mlullen described the ballot language mechanics under current law: certain statutory language is prescribed and unchangeable, while the board and administration fill in the redlined portions such as the purpose, years requested (up to eight under state law), and the maximum rate and levy amounts or estimates. She also noted that the median home value used for certain calculations is rounded up to the nearest $50,000 under state law.
Board members questioned timing, scope and fees. Counsel and staff said legal work typically begins in May to give auditors, the DLGF and the board time to meet the noon Aug. 1 certification deadline. Counsel estimated an engagement is commonly in the $5,000–$14,000 range depending on services required; a larger community survey firm engagement discussed later in the meeting was estimated at $28,000.
The board approved the engagement with Ice Miller in a recorded voice vote; members present supported the motion, with one member abstaining from the Wonderland consent item earlier due to a stated conflict.
What’s next: administration will coordinate with Ice Miller, the county auditor and the Department of Local Government Finance on the form of the ballot question and a revenue spending plan. The board also heard administration’s proposal to run a community opinion survey (approximately 400 phone interviews) in May, with results expected in early June to inform whether to finalize a referendum plan.
Key quote: “The most important date on this whole timetable is that noon on August 1st,” Kristen Mlullen told the board, emphasizing certification deadlines the board must meet to appear on the Nov. ballot.
Vote: motion to engage Ice Miller passed with affirmative votes from members present (recorded in meeting minutes).
