City Council Members: 5 or 7? – Just the Facts

By Dave Freneaux

Fact: Making Central’s government bigger by adding two Council Members would cost the Taxpayers of Central approximately $130,000 every four years.

Fact: If Central’s City Council elections are changed to five Districts, approximately 800 votes in a District would elect a Council Member.

Fact: If Central opted for seven Districts, approximately 575 votes would put a Council Member in office from that district.

    Three Council Members, LoBue, Messina and Washington, were elected on a platform supporting a move to Districts.  Central’s other two Council Members, DeJohn and Moak, have recently stated that they have heard the people’s support for Districts and that they too can support a move to City Council elections by District.  Under the Lawrason Act Central’s current City Council makes the decision as to how many Council Seats there will be in the 2014 election.  Given this information, it seems very likely that a move toward Districts will take place before 2014.

    The reason most often stated for wanting Central to have Districts is equal representation.  Currently, all five of Central’s Council Members live within two miles of the corner of Sullivan and Greenwell Springs in the southern area of the City.  Under Districts, Central would be divided into areas of equal population and the voters in each District would elect someone living in that District to serve on the City Council.  Dividing the approximately 8,000 voters in the last election into five districts yields 1,600 likely voters, and with about 800 votes a candidate living in each District becomes a Council Member.  Similarly, seven districts means about 1,150 likely voters, with about 575 votes putting a candidate in office.  As the numbers show, adding two Council Seats does give slightly better representation to the individual voters, but it carries a $130,000 price tag each four years.

    At the current Council’s rate of spending, Central’s City Council will cost about $330,000 over a four year term.  If two Council Seats are added this cost would rise to near $460,000, an increase of $130,000 over the four year Council term.  The decision to add two Council Seats does give each voter a stronger voice in the choice of their District’s Council Member, but it also comes at a cost of $130,000 over four years.  Since this decision is, by law, left to the current Council Members themselves, any citizen wishing to be heard on this issue should start by calling a Council Member and letting him know whether you support creating additional Council Seats.