What is the referendum?

Voters passed the referendum:

• the size of the Common Council will be reduced from 16 to 12 members
• we will create term limit for alderpersons, so that no person could serve more than two consecutive four-year terms (unless one full term or more has passed since that person last held office)

Frequently asked questions:

What are the new aldermanic boundaries?

View this map to see the proposed aldermanic map.

Is there a budget impact to reducing the size of council?

Since the Common Council is being reduced from 16 to 12 members, the salary will be evenly distributed across the 12 members. The current 16 members made $5,400 in a year. This means that the 12 members would make $7,050 in a year.

Why is the size of council and term limits in the same question?

The Common Council discussed the council size and term limits and ultimately decided to combine these two elements. The Common Council adopted the language for the referendum via resolution 21-114 on July 20, 2021. They discussed this topic at meetings on June 15, 2021 and July 20, 2021. Government Affairs Committee discussed the topic on March 4, 2021, March 9, 2021, May 11, 2021, and June 8, 2021. Links to these meetings are available in the meeting portal.

Why was there a referendum?

Elected officials discussed council size and the number of variables related to this decision for several months. Their discussion included:

• The decision-making process of 16 vs 12 elected officials
• Term limits
• Communication and responsiveness if you have 1 vs 2 alders
• Will diversity be more difficult to achieve with a smaller council?
• Compensation of alders
• Would we benefit from our current council size (breadth of opinions and expertise), or would we benefit from a deeper dive into topics?

Why do we currently have two alderpersons per district?

Having two alderpersons per district is the default per state law. Cities have the ability to change their representation to one alderperson per district.

The Common Council will outline a process to approve new aldermanic districts. This process will not take place until closer to 2026 because Wauwatosa would still be represented by 16 alderpersons until 2026. We would need new maps by 2026 when Wauwatosa would be represented by 12 alderpersons, one per district.

Timeline

• April 2024 - All aldermanic positions  elected in April 2024 will serve a two-year term.
• April 2026 - Wauwatosa represented by (1) alderperson per district in (12) districts. Alders in districts 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 districts are elected for only a two-year term for this election only. The other aldermanic positions will serve a four-year term.
• April 2028 - All aldermanic positions elected in April 2028 will serve a four-year term.

Video

Watch the video below to learn more about the referendum.