Every ten years when a census is done all municipalities and states must follow a process called redistricting. This is done to follow our country’s “One Person, One Vote” rule to ensure all legislative districts are roughly equal in population. For the city of Valparaiso each district elects a council person to represent them on the city council. The last redistricting for Valparaiso was done in 2022 following the 2020 census. Valparaiso paid 50,000 dollars to an Indianapolis firm to do this for our city. Councilwoman Barb Domer is leading an initiative to form a citizen-led redistricting commission to draw the maps after the next census instead of paying an outside firm.
The public forum held in council chambers Thursday October 2nd, 2025 was a review of the draft ordinance that will be introduced to city council for consideration on October 13, 2025 and voted on with a public hearing October 27th. The forum was an opportunity for the public to learn about the proposed ordinance and to offer comments on, and to ask questions about. The forum was led by Councilwoman Barb Domer, League of Women Voters of Porter County, and executive director of Common Cause Indiana Julia Bond. They talked about why all legislative bodies go through this process after the census every ten years, the history of who has been doing this, and growing support around the state for citizen-led redistricting commissions. If Valparaiso adopts this ordinance it would be the fourth legislative body to do so in Indiana following Bloomington, Goshen, and Monroe County.
The ordinance would take effect in 2032 following the 2030 census. State and congressional districts, along with counties will redistrict in 2031 and cities will draw their council districts in 2032. The Valparaiso citizen commission would consist of nine members, five voting members and four non-voting members. The four non-voting members would be the two seated city council at-large members at the time, the Mayor, and the City Council attorney. For the five voting members each of the five City Council members who represent a district, not the at-large councilmembers who represent the whole city, would appoint one person. There would be qualifications for the appointees such as, no one who has held public office or ran for public office for ten years prior, no immediate family of City Council, no one who for the last ten years has been a political officer for a party, and also no one who has made a political contributions cumulatively over 2,000 dollars for 5 years prior, and no one who is a registered lobbyist.
There were about fifty people present for the forum, many who had questions and comments. Center Township Trustee Jesse Harper speaking on the exclusion of appointing immediate family said there was “Too big of a net when we are speaking about immediate family, nephews? nieces? I don’t even know all my nephews names. Nephews, nieces, mother-in-laws, I think that net is a little too wide in terms of excluding people that may be people we want on this committee.”
Kenard Taylor, a past city council member, spoke extensively on the proposed ordinance saying he was not for or against it but just wanted to offer some of his insights from over forty years of experience in the election process. One thing he explained was why municipalities outsource redistricting saying “I think you’ve downplayed something very critical and that is the Voting Rights Act. The Voting Rights Act is a document that spells out how you select Districts. Most of the time we think about that on the state and federal level. We don’t think about it on the local level but it does also define that on the local level, you have to follow that criteria. That Act is over 300 pages long, written by lawyers and attorneys. So that is part of the reason why you have to have some professional people involved in this selection process of the districts, to make sure you don’t get legal challenges because you have violated the Voting Rights Act.”
Anyone interested in this proposal to create the Valparaiso Citizens Redistricting Advisory Commission is encouraged to come to the City Council meeting Monday October 13th at 6:00pm when this ordinance will be introduced and discussed by council.
Valparaiso City Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.
Meeting Time: The meetings begin at 6:00 PM.
Location: The meetings are held in the City Council chambers at City Hall.
Public Access: The meetings are open to the public, and citizens can attend in person.
Meetings are Recorded: Watch City Council Meetings Online here
Recent Meeting Highlights:
A recent meeting included discussions about opioid grant recipients and the impact of the funds.
Another meeting focused on a resolution recommending a downtown liquor license for Cafe Farina.
One meeting in 2025 regarding a proposed Data Center meeting saw a large public turnout regarding a specific issue, leading to a crowded chamber and locked doors.
Public Participation: Citizens can address the council during designated periods, often with time limits and specific protocols.
On Monday August 11th, the Council Overrode the Mayor’s Veto, read the full story here.
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