Should Wauwatosa decrease its council size from 16 to 12 members? A referendum will let voters decide.

A binding referendum, which will be on the ballot April 5, will ask Wauwatosa voters to decide whether they want to decrease the number of Common Council members serving the city from 16 to 12. 

The referendum will also ask voters whether council members should have term limits. If the referendum passes, council members wouldn't be allowed to serve more than two consecutive four-year terms.

Moving to fewer alderpeople has been a hotly debated topic in the city for years. 

A 2012 advisory referendum asked voters whether the council should be smaller. That measure passed with resounding approval, as 72% of voters voted yes.

But that referendum wasn't binding, and in 2015 a former Wauwatosa alderperson pulled a proposal to reduce the size of the Common Council because he didn't think there was enough support for it on the council.

Now the topic is back in the hands of voters — this time in the form of a binding referendum. 

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Wauwatosa has eight aldermanic districts and two representatives on the council per district. The referendum, if passed, would define 12 new aldermanic districts, and assign one alderperson per district. 

City attorney Alan Kesner said the Common Council would outline a process to create the 12 new aldermanic districts before the 2026 election. 

Kesner also said an alderperson could run again after serving two full terms if they took time off following their second completed term.

If the referendum is approved then:

• All aldermanic positions elected in April 2024 will serve a two-year term.
• In April 2026, Wauwatosa will begin to be represented by one alderperson per 12 districts. The alderpeople in districts 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 will be elected for only a two-year term for the election. The other aldermanic positions will serve a four-year term.
• Starting during the April 2028 election, all aldermanic positions elected will serve a four-year term. 

No matter what Wauwatosa voters decide, there will be several new council members serving the city in the coming weeks, as six Wauwatosa incumbents decided not to run for reelection in April.

Ald. Allison Byrne brought forward the proposal for a smaller council in 2021.

She believes having 16 council members, compared to 12, creates more work for city staff and extends discussions at city meetings. She also thinks there's confusion about what alderperson represents what district.

"I think there's an argument to be made that a smaller council size would help make new people elected or new perspectives elected a larger voice and more of an impact," Byrne said during a March 2021 Government Affairs committee meeting. 

Byrne also said the move would force council members to be more accessible and accountable to residents in their district. 

But not everyone is in favor of the idea, including the social justice group Tosa Together. 

"In a white-majority city, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) candidates are less likely to get elected when there is only one alder per district rather than two alders per district," a letter from the group said.

Tosa Together also said there will be less diversity of voices and opinions on the council because of the reduction. 

The exact wording on the ballot says: 

• "Shall the Charter Ordinance be adopted as presented to the Common Council on July 20, 2021, to reduce the number of alderpersons per district from two (2) per aldermanic district to one (1) per district, define twelve (12) aldermanic districts, create term limits for alderpersons, establish transitional procedures and establish effective dates?"

Evan Casey can be reached at 414-403-4391 or evan.casey@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @ecaseymedia.