Wauwatosa voters narrowly approve a referendum decreasing the size of the Common Council to 12 members

Wauwatosa voters decided Tuesday night to shrink the size of the Common Council from 16 to 12 members. 

It's a move that's been years in the making, as 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 this referendum, which got 50.02% of the vote, is binding.

Just five votes separated yes votes from the no votes for the referendum. 

The passing of the referendum also means alderpeople will not be allowed to serve more than two consecutive four-year terms.

Wauwatosa currently has eight aldermanic districts and two representatives per district on the council. But with the passing of the referendum, 12 new aldermanic districts will be defined, with one alderman per district. 

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What happens now?

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

Now that the referendum has been approved: 

• All aldermanic positions elected in April 2024 will be for two-year terms.
• 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 two-year terms in that election. The other aldermanic positions will serve four-year terms.
• Starting with the April 2028 election, all aldermanic positions elected will serve a four-year term. 

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.

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

Results

Yes: 5,082 

No: 5,077 

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