League of Women Voters of Lafayette, LA

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LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS®
OF LAFAYETTE, LA

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2011 Elections: The Lafayette League's Guide: Deconsolidation, School Facilities, Local Races, Candidate Questionnaires and information from the state League!

Lafayette: The League's Guide to Elected Officials

Lafayette: Public Meetings

Archives: Candidate Forums & Candidate Questionnaires from previous years

Issue: Deconsolidation

Frequently Asked Questions

Who votes?
All voters in Lafayette Parish—this includes people living in municipalities and unincorporated parts of the parish—can vote. Everyone in Lafayette Parish is a part of parish government, and elects a parish Council and Chief Executive Officer by state Constitution.

If deconsolidation passes, when would the governments change?
Lafayette Consolidated Government would stay as it is for 4 more years. The City-Parish Councilmen and Chief Executive Officer must serve out their 4-year terms under the present Home Rule Charter. New Parish Council and new City of Lafayette Council members would be elected in Fall, 2015 to two separate governments. The two new Charters would go into effect when the new elected officials are sworn in January 2016.

If deconsolidation passes, would my taxes change?
All parish and city sales and property taxes would be assessed in the same manner as is done in the existing form of government. All parish sales and property taxes would stay the same unless the Lafayette Parish Council puts a change on the ballot and it is approved by a majority of all of the voters in Lafayette Parish—all municipalities, and all unincorporated areas. Any change to city sales and property taxes would be a result of the municipality’s Council putting it on the ballot and a majority of the voters living in that municipality voting for it.

Where can I find more information?
To see the two proposed charters and minutes of Charter Commission meetings see: http://www.lafayettela.gov/council/charter_commission.asp

Where can I learn more about our current local government?
Visit the local government web guide by the League of Women Voters of Lafayette:
KnowYourLocalGovernments.LafayetteCommons.org

Comparison of the Current Charter and
the Proposed, Separate City and Parish Charters

Current Charter	Proposed Charters
Lafayette Consolidated Government	Parish of Lafayette	City of Lafayette
1 Charter for both	Separate charter	Separate Charter
Adoption of Joint Budgets	Separate Budget	Separate Budget
Separate accounting	Only Parish funding	Only City Funding
Government functions are consolidated	Would be decision of the Parish Council to either create their own separate government services or enter into an intergovernmental agreement to keep the services consolidated as it is today.	Departments and services would remain uninterrupted.
Elect City-Parish Council, 9 members	Elect Lafayette Parish Council, 7 members	Elect Lafayette City Council, 7 members
Elect City-Parish President	Elect Parish President	Elect Mayor
Council meets at least 2x/month	Council meets at least 1x/month	Council meets at least 2x/month
City-Parish Council levies taxes & borrows money for the parish and for the City of Lafayette	Parish Council levies taxes & borrows money for the parish	City Council levies taxes & borrows money for the City of Lafayette
Fire & Police Departments Of City of Lafayette governed by City-Parish Council. Chiefs appointed by City-Parish President.	Unincorporated areas of the parish receive police protection from the Sheriff's department and fire protection from volunteer departments. Intergovernmental agreements may be used.	Fire & Police Departments governed by City Council. Chiefs appointed by Mayor
Charter outlines plan of departmental organization for the government	President submits a proposed organizational plan to the Council for consideration and approval.	Mayor submits a proposed organizational plan to the Council for consideration and approval.
Operates under the Civil Service System. In addition to other departments, there is a Legal Department [also included in the Charter]	Does not operate under the Civil Service System and provides for a Legal Department	Operates under the Civil Service System and provides for a Legal Department.
Provides for a Chief Administrative Officer	Does not provide for a Chief Administrative Officer	Provides for a Chief Administrative Officer
Lafayette Public Utilities Authority votes on Lafayette Utilities System matters; City-Parish Council approves borrowing money increasing rates.	Has no vote. LUS is owned by the City of Lafayette.	City Council governs Lafayette Utilities System.